


Metaphrasis

by green_grrl



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Dubious Consent, Fuck Or Die, M/M, Pseudo-Classical Greek, Pseudo-medicine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-11
Updated: 2007-07-11
Packaged: 2017-12-10 12:45:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 40,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/786184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/green_grrl/pseuds/green_grrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's those cultural misunderstandings that will get you. </p><p>AKA the Library of Alexandria planet one, with concubine tea</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For [](http://avidrosette.livejournal.com/profile)[**avidrosette**](http://avidrosette.livejournal.com/) in the [J/D Ficathon](http://greensilver.livejournal.com/420527.html), who wanted "happy ending, first time; I like everything, from the wildest AUs to the mere-breath-away-from-canon scenarios. I'd prefer the characters to be attentive to each other's feelings, even if they misperceive them." (Restriction were: no dumb! or deliberately-cruel-to-Daniel!Jack, and no Jack or Daniel UST/ship with other canon characters.)
> 
> Season 5ish. I am pretending the goa'uld Athena in Memento Mori didn't exist—or is otherwise completely unrelated to this story.
> 
> Thanks to [](http://muck-a-luck.livejournal.com/profile)[**muck_a_luck**](http://muck-a-luck.livejournal.com/) , [](http://paian.livejournal.com/profile)[**paian**](http://paian.livejournal.com/) and [](http://starting-gate.livejournal.com/profile)[**starting_gate**](http://starting-gate.livejournal.com/) who all betaed this monster at the last minute. They are my angels! Also, many thanks to CK's Husband for research suggestions, and to [](http://dutch-eowyn.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://dutch-eowyn.livejournal.com/)**dutch_eowyn** for Dutch swear words.
> 
> If you think you need warnings, see end notes.

_trans•la•tion 1 a written or spoken rendering of the meaning of a word, speech, book, or other text, in another language; 2 the process of moving something from one place to another. ORIGIN Middle English : from Latin_ translatus _‘carried across.’_

 

 

The video showed a beautiful grassy clearing with a few clusters of flowering shrubs and the occasional group of trees farther out. Near the gate platform was a classic obelisk, and about a half a klick ahead there was a columned structure that, through the grain of the MALP video anyway, appeared to be pure late Hellenic architecture.

The MALP technician had zoomed in on the obelisk, and Daniel adjusted his glasses more firmly on his nose as he settled in to translate the engraved text. Which was actually the easiest translation he'd ever seen offworld. In fact, this was... This was... His eyes tracked faster and faster through the text and his jaw fell open. He ran for the telephone. "Jack!"

~

General Hammond listened attentively to Doctor Jackson's presentation. The slides showed pictures of what looked like a familiar alphabet; and according to the linguist, it was—classic Attic Greek.

"It's the story of the people who came to the P3X-599 through the intervention of the goddess Athena..."

At the mention of a goddess, the general stiffened.

"But I don't think she was a goa'uld," Doctor Jackson hastened to add. "For one thing, this is one of the planets Jack entered from the Ancient repository. It's also not physically located near any known System Lord's territory." He ran his laser pointer through the first part of the text. "Besides, I think she was helping; I think it was one of the advanced races. But, the most amazing thing is who the people were that built this." He turned back to his audience. "They were the scholars from the Library of Alexandria."

"The Library of Alexandria? Burned by Caesar?"

"Yes, sir. I mean no, I mean... Yes, the greatest repository of knowledge in the ancient world—over half a million texts. But it's generally believed now that Caesar didn't burn the Library, only a warehouse; that the library itself survived another four hundred years or so and was actually destroyed in a civil war or by Christian purges, the stories are unclear... Roman persecution of pagans was... Anyway." Doctor Jackson snapped back to the point as he caught the colonel's thin-lipped _you're on a tangent_ look. The general smiled inwardly. Colonel O'Neill would get it through to the loquacious civilian how to get to the point if it was the last thing he did.

"According to this, the goddess Athena came to the scholars to warn them that the library was under threat, and told them to pull together their belongings and the texts that were most important to them. She carried them through the night sky to Mount Olympus, and sent them through a circle of water to a new untouched land. Here." Daniel stretched his arm out towards a slide of the meadow.

Major Carter clarified, "So, an unknown alien came in a ship, carried them across space to the nearest gate world, and sent them through the stargate to this planet."

"Exactly!" Daniel was beaming. "Do you know what this means? The loss of the Library of Alexandria has been considered one of the greatest tragedies to ever befall civilization. If any of the materials they rescued are still on P3X-599, the knowledge that we might regain is... is... incalculable!"

"Doctor Jackson," the general tried to be gentle. "It's been, what, sixteen hundred years? I'd like to know whether those texts still exist. But if you do find them, any time you spend with them would have to have mandate relevance." The general hated having to emphasize the SGC's increasingly limited focus, but politicians and the Pentagon were constantly keeping up the pressure.

"Remember where Alexandria's located, sir," Daniel immediately replied. "If you want relevance, it's highly likely that the Library had the largest collection of ancient Egyptian history on the planet. We could learn much more about the activities of the goa'uld on Earth and what happened to them."

"That's true, sir," Major Carter added. "So far we've been playing catch-up, putting together tiny puzzle pieces as one god or another pops up. If we could put together a real history of goa'uld interference on our planet, more information about them and their interrelationships, we might be able to avoid some nasty surprises."

"I concur," said Teal'c. "The stories of the Tau'ri homeworld have become more myth and misdirection than history."

"Not to mention," Jack chimed in, "somebody out there liked us. We should ask the Asgard, but if Athena wasn't one of our little gray buddies—and they don't usually go in for the Greek IDs—I'd like to know who was carting humans around several thousand years after both the gates on Earth were buried."

"Excellent point, Colonel. I'd like you to contact the Asgard and see what you can learn. Major Carter, prepare a UAV and learn what more you can find out about the planet—see if the aerial view shows any settlements, indications of habitation, or ruins. If everything checks out, you have a mission."

~

Daniel was vibrating with excitement as Sam prepared the UAV. He couldn't _wait_ to see the video. Sam was giving him a fondly tolerant smile. Like she could laugh—she got hyper over quarks.

The MALP video showed a light summer rain coming down, but nothing heavy enough to bother the UAV, at least on a short flight. Sam launched, and the little plane zipped through the gate and climbed in altitude. Then almost immediately blacked out.

"Lightning strike," explained Walter. He'd been watching the video from the MALP and replayed it for them.

"Damn!" Sam seemed chagrined at the damage to the plane, or maybe that she had misread the severity of the weather.

Jack sauntered in. "What's up?"

"The UAV got hit by lightning," Daniel explained.

"Are you sure it wasn't knocked out by the obelisk or something?" Ever since Cimmeria, Daniel had noticed Jack was skittish about weapons hidden in monuments.

"No, sir," confirmed Walter. "Simple summer storm."

"So, now we have a UAV to retrieve. What's our status?"

"Well, sir," reported Sam, "The DHD checks out. Other than traces directly next to the stargate, the MALP hasn't picked up any readings of naquadah, or any other signs of goa'uld presence. Before the UAV went down, it showed a road running in front of the building we can see with the MALP. Impossible to say whether it's currently in use or not. Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is low and there haven't been more than trace amounts of what we consider to be pollutants. No radio signals on any frequency we can detect. The population either died out, or is very small and probably undeveloped."

"Or they don't generate power the way we do," Daniel interjected.

"Could be," agreed Sam.

Jack got that calculating look. "Turns out the Asgard don't know anything about an evacuation sixteen hundred years ago. I'll ask General Hammond for a go."

~

The moment they stepped on to the planet, the team did their usual professional visual sweep. Carter double-checked the DHD and Daniel scanned the obelisk and its surroundings carefully for any signs of hidden dangers. Jack did the same before giving him the nod to go ahead. They'd learned the hard way to be careful up front, because as soon as Daniel got absorbed...

Daniel reread the side they'd seen on the MALP footage. Then he made a quick circuit of the other faces. Jack pulled his attention away from a landscape that was showing absolutely no sign of danger or attack.

"Carter, Teal'c, go check out that thing..." He waved at the open-walled building in the distance. "Make sure there's no booby-traps." He turned back to Daniel. "So what's the rest of this stuff?" He gestured generally at the writing on the other faces of the obelisk.

Daniel stepped around the structure, scanning the texts. "They're the same story as on the Greek side, written in the other major languages in use in Alexandria at the time—Latin, demotic Egyptian and Hebrew. No hieroglyphics, no alien languages."

"And you're sure there's nothing about 'Don't touch this' or 'You must prove yourself by trial' or 'Beware the ancient enemy' or..."

"Nope. Just pretty much a big old thank you to Athena, who seems to have dropped them off and never come back." He pulled out the videocamera and started documenting all four faces.

He'd just about finished when Carter radioed from the other structure. "Daniel, I think you and the colonel should see this."

As they approached, Daniel ran an appraising eye over the open-air roof, supported by columns. He muttered under his breath something about post-Alexandrian era, Corinthian columns, Nilitic influence and decorative motifs, but all he said when he turned to Jack was "Pretty much exactly what I would expect to find in Ptolemaic Egypt."

Jack had his own observation. "Looks to be in pretty good shape. If this place has been abandoned, it wasn't too long ago."

Daniel nodded agreement and mounted the few steps to see what it was Carter was excited about. It was hard to miss—a large slab tilted at an angle for easy reading, covered in text. This text, though, was raised letters cast on a thick metal sheet. Daniel got his frown of concentration as he read through it, much more slowly than the obelisk. Jack eyed the road on the far side of the structure while Daniel puzzled out the words.

"This monument was erected by the first settlers of Neocosmos, um, New World—that must be what they called this place—ten years after their arrival." He dropped to a rapid mutter: "historians, mathematicians, architects, scientists, artists, poets, engineers, philosophers, physicians..." More muttering: "masons, carpenters, farmers, smiths..."

Daniel looked up. "This text isn't the same as the Attic Greek on the obelisk. It's more like Koine Greek with some of what seems to be Coptic in here and some Latin, plus what appears to be linguistic drift. In some ways it's more similar to _koinoteron_ than our modern Greek is, but there's been more adoption of foreign words. I'm only guessing at some of it."

Attics, coins, what did it matter? "Daniel." Jack put his dad voice on. "What does it _say_?"

"Oh. It accounts events after the obelisk was raised. Apparently Athena had given the scholars three days to gather a mix of workers and artisans to come with them, and the first several years were devoted to creating a home here. Praise for the pioneer forebears kind of thing."

Jack grunted. "Huh. You know what it reminds me of? When you're going down the highway and stop at one of those historical markers. Cast bronze thingies."

"You're right sir!" Carter lit up. "Or when you went on a school field trip to the oldest building in town, with the big plaque."

"Yeah, exactly! They look just like this. Er, without the Corinthian columns," Jack amended. "Maybe it's more like the monuments in DC."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Daniel Jackson, do you think it is likely that the settlement was successful? That the descendants of the settlers are still here engaged in the pursuit of knowledge?" Teal'c asked.

"Well, just to be able to cast this metal plate, they would have to have gotten pretty far advanced beyond simple survival." He ran his fingers over it. "This structure has been tended to and there's no vandalism or indication later generations have refuted the message. Barring very recent disease or civil war or disaster, it's very likely the descendants are still here."

"That would make it far more likely that the ancient scrolls they brought from Earth would be preserved, would it not?"

"Good point, Teal'c. Let's take this to General Hammond. Daniel, keep reading that thing and write up a translation for the general. If he lets us send the UAV through and keep going, you're on for translation, so get as familiar with the language and culture as possible. Carter, keep an eye out here while Daniel reads. Teal'c, let's grab the UAV and run a perimeter check. Back here in twenty." Daniel nodded distractedly.

Other than the UAV, there was nothing more exciting than a few unfamiliar birds and small animals in the area, and a short scout up the road revealed only that it wound a fair way over rolling hills, but that no destination could actually be seen without traveling it much farther.

Once Jack and Teal'c returned to the historic marker, Daniel gave a succinct, for him, summary. "The rest of the text goes on to talk about the accomplishments of the historians and scholars and artists in rebuilding the cultural equivalent of what they left behind. As you might expect from who the founders were, the society seems to focus on intellectual and artistic achievement. The workers were respected for the initial 'survival' aspect, but then mentions of them pretty much drop."

"Slaves?" asked Teal'c.

"No, I think more of a stratified society, or caste system. Scholars and artists on top, then skilled craftspeople, then unskilled labor."

"What about soldiers or military?" asked Sam.

Daniel wrinkled his brow. "It seems that guards came through with the original settlers, but I don't think any actual soldiers. The Earth they left was no stranger to war and armies. The Library of Alexandria itself was founded by Alexander the Great after his conquest of Egypt, and of course there was the Roman conquest. Military tactics were a legitimate area of scholarship, as well as war stories being prevalent in the arts. But here, there were no other nations to attack them, unless they splintered themselves. Nothing like that's mentioned here, though, and as I said, this was written well into their history."

"Gods? Priests? Taboos?" Jack asked. Most of their offworld trouble came from the same old things.

"Other than the mention of Athena on the obelisk, not really. There's no temple structure here, or any calls to worship. The settlers' population would have included pagans, Jews and Christians, at least. Many of the scholars were basically agnostic, and claimed whatever was politically expedient. You'd think, actually, that being transported across the galaxy by a goddess would have created an Athena cult, but the closest I see are exhortations to rationality, learning and arts. I'm guessing that this Athena who rescued them told them that upholding her ideals should be their thanks, not worship."

"That would rule out a goa'uld, definitely. Well Daniel, all scholars, no soldiers—sounds like your kinda paradise."

"Or, Elysium, perhaps?" Daniel tried.

Jack rolled his eyes at the history joke and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, wanna radio Hammond and ask if you can look for locals?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Carter was laughing and Daniel had a huge grin.

~

Once Hammond heard the consensus that any population would likely be academically oriented and peaceful he gave them seventy-two hours. He also gave Daniel the lead; this was now officially a diplomatic mission. The team took a look at the road, and picked a direction.

A few klicks later, they noticed that the natural landscape had changed to orchards. "These look tended," Jack said. "Eyes open, people."

The orchards gave way to a vineyard, and Jack halted the team in the road. They scanned through the rows of grapevines, but didn't find any workers, so resumed travel.

Next they came to cultivated fields, and here they did spot someone tending the plants. The woman startled as she raised her head to find four oddly dressed strangers on the road, but Daniel gave her a friendly smile and stepped forward. Time for the old _peaceful explorer_ routine. Jack listened as Daniel carefully pronounced out a greeting, but he understood nothing more than "Daniel Jackson."

The woman frowned in concentration as she picked over his words, and questioned him back. Daniel puzzled over her reply, then nodded, smiling. "Her translation of my Koine Greek into the contemporary vernacular sounds right," he reported.

She lit up too—no one could resist the Daniel Jackson in full-on charm mode. But she looked confused. They could all easily interpret her question from the gesture: "Where did you come from?"

Daniel pointed back down the road as he answered.

The woman's jaw dropped in astonishment. Daniel tried translating her rapid-fire response to the others. "I think she wants to know if we come from Athena, and whether Athena is returning."

Jack watched her face. "She doesn't seemed frightened about the idea, just..."

"Incredulous," put in Carter.

"Yeah. Well, it's been millennia. Athena's probably about as real to these people as Ra would have been if he'd landed in modern Egypt." Daniel turned to the woman and tried explaining to her that they were not sent by the goddess, merely ordinary mortals who used the same means of travel Athena used to bring her people here. She seemed a little reassured, though still amazed. However, travelers she could apparently deal with.

"Matta," she introduced herself. Daniel shared her explanation that her family owned the farm around them.

"Daniel Jackson," he introduced himself again, with some more Greek. Her eyes widened at his introduction, and she dipped her head in deference.

"What did you tell her?"

"That I'm a scholar of ancient history."

"Guess they do respect the eggheads here. What'll you say about the rest of us?"

"Well, that you're the leader of exploration who guards our safety in our travels, that Sam is a scientist and mathematician, and that Teal'c also guards our safety."

"Sounds like a plan. Just make sure they don't send Teal'c and me off to segregated quarters or anything."

"Well, she's a farmer, and she's talking to me. Egyptian royalty used to require very strict protocols and submission, but Greek and Roman societies were pretty democratic."

"Yeah, but Alexandria is in Egypt," Jack pointed out.

"Well, physically Alexandria was in Egypt. Politically it was part of the Roman Empire. Socially it was multicultural, one of the most tolerantly diverse cities in history. But most of the Mediterranean still had a strong Greek influence from the days of Alexander's empire, especially the intellectual world and most especially in 'his' city."

"All right, all right—get on with it. Let's hope they're still democratic."

Daniel introduced the rest of the team to Matta. It seemed she couldn't help staring at Daniel and Carter.

"Impressed with your brainpower?" Jack teased.

Daniel questioned Matta gently, and she blushed and responded with a question of her own. Daniel ducked his head and smiled before replying. He explained, "She was a little surprised to see Celtic scholars. I don't think there are blue-eyed blonds here. At the time of the Library, the northwestern European barbarians were more interested in fighting the Romans than intellectualism. I assured her that the Celtic, Germanic and Slavic tribes are very civilized these days."

Matta encouraged them to follow her on the road. Daniel passed on the message. "She's taking us to the village, where she can contact the city so that the scholars can welcome us."

"That makes a nice change from being welcomed by the local justice," Jack observed wryly.

"I concur," answered Teal'c. "I think I have done more exploration of alien prison cells than I would have preferred."

Jack did a better job of hiding his smile than Carter. Teal'c was getting the hang of humor, but Jack wasn't going to admit it.

Daniel chattered away with Matta as they walked, occasionally turning to Jack to pass on tidbits of information about the rural towns, and the main city—Museopolis—that they would be visiting. There was a smaller coastal city and a mining outpost also. The team perked up at the report of mines—maybe there would be more than Daniel's dusty old scrolls to negotiate for.

Jack had him ask about conflicts. Daniel confirmed with Matta that there had been no other visitors, through the gate or otherwise, since the original settlers had arrived. As far as internal politics went, Matta's version of civil war turned out to be a few historic occasions when various philosophical factions had vied to be the primary ideology among the scholars. But generally the rule was tolerance for diverse schools of thought; there had never been a serious disturbance among the people themselves and warfare was unknown outside of histories from the Old World.

"Imagine all the people..." Jack sang John Lennon quietly off-key.

"Yeah, basically," said Daniel.

"We'd be out of a job, sir," Carter said. Not as if it were a bad thing.

"Peaceful world?" said Jack. "You could spend _all_ your time in the lab, and I could spend all my time fishing."

"Even if there were no war on your world, O'Neill, there would still be the goa'uld to contend with," pointed out Teal'c.

"Spoilsport," muttered Jack. He abandoned his reveries about Minnesota and continued scanning their surroundings and catching Daniel's snippets of info.

Carter was behind them, studying the farms as they walked and pointing out to Teal'c various Earth crops among some unknown ones. "They must have brought seeds with them when they came, as well as domesticating some of the edible native vegetation."

The party came to a neat, whitewashed village arranged in a grid around a central plaza. Matta showed them to what seemed to be a local cafe and arranged food and drink for them, then explained in rapid-fire local dialect what she had learned from the visitors to the people around her. Jack tensed as everyone started clamoring at once, but Matta shouted them down. Daniel shared that she was chiding them to please behave civilly around their honored guests, and that she was going to contact the city.

An older woman stepped forward and Matta bowed. She gestured for Daniel to come and introduced the woman as Selka, a biologist and evidently a well-respected member of the village community. Daniel bowed also, and repeated his introductions of the SG-1 team. Selka nodded at them but didn't lower her face as Matta had done when meeting them. Instead she smiled broadly and stepped forward eagerly to welcome them. Jack knew a scientist when he saw one—Selka had the same look on her face that Daniel did when he was faced with a new cartouche.

Matta slipped out, apparently to notify the scholars in the city of their unusual visitors, and Selka joined their table. Jack sampled the snack tray while Daniel repeated their story of exploration. Selka was not nearly as astonished as Matta had been that SG-1 had come through the stargate. Daniel relayed her explanation that for the past few centuries, the Neocosmans had suspected that the stone ring might be some sort of machine, but didn't want to damage it while examining it in case the "Athena" who brought their ancestors here wanted to return.

"Sounds like they're onto the fact that Athena was some sort of non-divine visitor from elsewhere," noted Jack, passing Daniel a goat cheese thingie.

"I'm getting that impression," he agreed, taking a bite.

"Good. If they've already figured out the life on other planets bit, we'll have an easier time explaining the goa'uld and the information we're looking for here. Let's save that spiel for the city, though."

Daniel turned his questioning to their hostess, asking Selka about her work. Not surprisingly for a rural scientist, she specialized in plant biology, and it was soon apparent that she was well aware of genetics and DNA. Jack was amused by Daniel's flailing for words as Selka and Sam got him into the middle of an increasingly detailed scientific discussion.

Jack and Teal'c shared a smile as they watched Sam and Selka come alive with excitement. "Well, good buddy, I'm afraid we've found a whole planet full of Daniels and Carters."

"I believe you are correct, O'Neill. I fear we will have to drag them kicking and shrieking back through the stargate when it is time to go."

"Screaming."

"Indeed."

Jack sipped from one of the glasses and discovered it was beer. Good beer. He might do a little kicking and shrieking himself.

Soon Matta returned, and hovered until Selka gestured her forward and kindly indicated she should join their table. Matta smiled shyly, and reported that a delegation of the _sophists_ was on its way from Museopolis and would be there shortly.

~

The contingent of six people from the city approached with welcoming smiles. Selka bowed to them with a respectful nod, and Daniel translated quietly as she introduced him to them as the visitors' lead scholar. Daniel added with relief that she was using pure Attic Greek—easier for him to follow. Selka pointed out Jack as Daniel's _alketairo_ , and Jack watched Daniel's brow wrinkle a bit as he parsed the word. Carter was introduced as a physicist, and Teal'c as her alketairo.

One of the men stepped forward and introduced himself as Kapta. Daniel translated the rest; Kapta was a historian and current Council Chair for the Mousein. The man at his right shoulder was his alketairo, Philip. There was also a linguist, and a physicist—he'd given an extra smile towards Carter—both with their alketairos.

As Daniel briefly translated their intros for the team, the linguist, Miriam her name was, listened with interest, but apparently could make nothing of the English. Speaking of... "So, Daniel, what's this alketairo thing?"

"Well, it seems like the scholars are each paired up with some sort of bodyguard." Jack did a doubletake. The woman with the physicist was about half his size—but then he knew female airmen who worked out with Teal'c. Daniel explained, "Alke-hetairo translates roughly as 'strong companion,' though it's not a term I've ever seen before. But they do treat scholars as the leaders, and the bodyguards are definitely in some sort of service position." Daniel smiled for just a flash before he continued, "And, um, they are apparently assuming that I'm in charge of the team, and that you, Jack, are my bodyguard, and Teal'c is Sam's."

Jack waved off the obvious invitation to protest. "Hey, it's your mission; I _am_ just the muscle. As long as we report in to Hammond as necessary and everybody gets back through the gate in one piece, my job is done. Goa'uld mothership lands, though, I'm taking over."

Daniel blinked a minute. "Well, knock on wood. A millennia and a half without goa'uld—I'd hate to break their streak."

"Indeed." Teal'c seemed pretty curious about a planet that had never known war.

SG-1 gave friendly farewells and thanks to Matta and Selka, and followed their new hosts. "Holy Hannah!" Carter exclaimed. They'd been led to what looked more or less like an electric light rail car. She walked around it a few times, and pestered Daniel with questions to translate, until Jack subtly waved her to get on already.

On the way to the city, they learned the train's power source was electricity primarily generated by wind and micro hydro turbines. "So that's why the atmosphere was cleaner than expected," she mused. "My guess is that they either don't have or they've never exploited fossil fuel resources." She carefully asked the physicist about their knowledge of nuclear physics, and learned that they were well aware of the power inherent in the atom, but that the dangers of radiation kept them from doing more beyond small experiments. "I'm guessing," she said, "that they've developed some remarkably efficient technologies. There's another area we might negotiate for an exchange."

~

The sophists took the team through a tour of some of Museopolis's highlights. Their strange clothes and Sam and Daniel's light hair caused a lot of curiosity, but the people respected their escort of councillors. The population looked like that of most Mediterranean ports: skins in every shade of brown and dark hair in a wide variety of textures. Daniel learned that the initial population of just over a thousand was now fairly stable at sixty thousand, all told. The scholars were shocked to hear that Earth's population was now six billion; it was an almost impossible number of people to comprehend.

On the tour, it was naturally the gymnios—the sporting complex—that attracted Jack and Teal'c. Their guides showed them a sparring gym where various athletes and alketairos practiced. Daniel smiled as he saw the evaluating look on his team members' faces. Come to think of it, even he could see where his training in mixed fighting forms could give him an advantage. He wondered what their hosts would think of himself and Sam, two scholars, showing off martial arts moves. If it wouldn't be too scandalous, they'd have to try it.

The next stop was the erganios, the section of the city for skilled craftspeople and artisans. Daniel diplomatically questioned, and discovered that despite its stratification, the society was indeed democratic. There was universal education in both intellectual pursuits and practical crafts. Personal interest and aptitude were the only requirements for entry into the sophists' class.

Miriam explained that her mother was a horse trainer and her father a tailor. She'd been fascinated by languages since she was young, though, and had easily climbed through the academic rungs. Daniel tested her and discovered they could converse in Latin, Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. Teal'c and Jack could follow some of her Latin, and Daniel and Teal'c could understand some of her Coptic as well.

As they were wandering through the erganios, Sam made a beeline towards a jewelers. Daniel gave Jack and Teal'c a questioning glance as Sam picked up a ring. They looked as mystified as he was. Sam turned around, holding it up. "Trinium, sir."

Ah. They would definitely have to see about that mining outpost.

Finally the tour headed towards the city center, the highest visible point. Kapta proudly presented the hypatios, the Mousein complex. It contained the university, the library, the museum, the theatre and the seat of the government—the Council.

Daniel was fascinated by the beautiful statue of a robed woman in the central plaza. He felt a tug and heard a "Whoa, hey there big guy," as Jack kept him from walking into a bench.

"Athena?" he asked Kapta.

" _No, this is Hypatia._ " he replied.

" _The Head Librarian_ ," Daniel filled in.

" _She is remembered in Earth history, then?_ " Kapta looked pleased.

" _She is_ ," Daniel said. Jack poked him, and asked him with a look for an explanation of the statue. With Kapta to confirm the details, Daniel told him about Hypatia, an astronomer and mathematician, and the last Head Librarian at Alexandria. She was an extraordinary intellectual who valued learning and inquiry above all things, but the fanatical Archbishop Cyril convinced his Christian mob that she was a pagan, and she was stabbed to death. According to Kapta, it was the next day that Athena had appeared in the Library and urged the scholars to prepare to flee.

Daniel finally had his opening to ask whether the Neocosmans still had the rescued materials from the Library of Alexandria. To his immense relief, not only were they preserved, but they had been exactingly and painstakingly copied over the centuries, and the information was now accessible in a more durable format.

Kapta introduced the team to more sophists as they toured the Mousein, some with alketairos and some without. Daniel overheard an alketairo refer to her _sophauthentes_ —her "wise master"? He needed to learn more about the tradition.

Word of SG-1's appearance through the stargate was causing a tremendous amount of curiosity, and only innate politeness was holding the scholars back. Daniel promised his guides he would hold a lecture in the auditorium to answer their questions.

One of the rooms they passed featured the sound of loud singing coming out the door. And yet it was a certain bet this was not the studio of one of the music masters. In fact, it sounded more like a bawdy drinking song sung by a sailor on leave than anything else. Despite the fact the disruption was at odds with the highbrow aura of the rest of the place, their guides looked fondly amused. Kapta knocked on the doorframe, bringing the occupant out to meet them.

"Bacchylides," he introduced himself. His rumpled outfit was stained, his hair stuck out in random directions, but his face was so irresistibly good-natured, Daniel couldn't help but smile and greet him. He introduced the team, and Bacchylides invited them into his studio, which turned out to be full of paintings and sketches. Despite the man's sloppy, casual air, his work was magnificent. The compositions were perfectly balanced, but as Daniel looked more deeply, more nuanced details revealed themselves.

Teal'c studied a work in progress closely. "If I am not mistaken, I believe he is painting glazes of color over a white background, similar to the technique developed by the Pre-Raphaelites."

Daniel and Jack both whipped their heads to stare, then turned to each other, mouthing incredulously, "Pre-Raphaelites?"

"It is a highly effective means of producing jewel-like tones," Teal'c informed them.

Sam was beaming. "I've been encouraging him to watch PBS."

Daniel cleared his throat. "That's, ah, great."

"I find it most fascinating," affirmed Teal'c.

Jack zeroed in on a sketch of a newborn colt, awkwardly trying to stand. He was studying it closely, and turned to give Bacchylides a more considered look. The artist did the same back. " _You are an artist?_ " he asked. Daniel translated the question for Jack, and Jack lit up.

"Of course." Jack said. Daniel raised his eyebrows. "I'm a poet. Translate this for him: There once was a girl from Nantucket—"

Daniel groaned and clapped his hand over Jack's mouth. Jack mumbled a protest. When Daniel freed him, he said, "What? It's not like he can understand."

"Oh, I think he understands just fine." Bacchylides was grinning broadly, and Jack beamed right back at him. Daniel knew they were sunk. These two were going to be the boys at the back of the class with spitballs and pea-shooters.

" _We'd better escape_ ," he whispered to Kapta, " _before the two of them bring the complex down around our ears._ "

Kapta smiled indulgently. " _I think you're right._ "

The team ended up in the history department, and Daniel decided that it was as good a place as any to launch into SG-1's "history of the goa'uld" presentation, complete with visual aids, courtesy of Teal'c. He explained that their world seemed to be one of the safest possible, but that they should know of the danger. And he added his hope that the SGC might find information among their historical materials that would provide greater insight into the history of the goa'uld on Earth.

The historians were appropriately astonished and thoughtful; as Daniel had found, and every social scientist who joined the SGC after him, the implications for Earth's history were revolutionary. The historians agreed wholeheartedly to help him look into their Earth material.

They were also, not very subtly, ravenous to hear about the history of Earth since the year 400. Daniel decided with Kapta to give that big lecture the next morning, before anyone burst with curiosity. He also arranged for Sam and Teal'c to travel to the mining outpost with Miriam and her alketairo—Teal'c and the linguist would have the best chance of communicating.

Dinner that night was a celebratory affair, with the entire Council and all the department heads. Miriam sat by Sam and Teal'c, facilitating a convoluted discussion in four languages with a group of scientists. Jack was delighted to see Bacchylides there as well, and to Daniel's complete lack of surprise, they played with their food like overgrown kids. It didn't keep Jack from his responsibilities, though. He checked in with Daniel regularly about what was going on, and was pleased enough with the mission that he embarrassed Daniel with his compliments.

Tired, full and relaxed, the team was shown to guest apartments in the complex. There was a room for each pair, as their hosts had designated them, next door to each other. Daniel thanked Kapta and Philip profusely for their hospitality and bid them goodnight. Then he and Jack entered their room and discovered it had one bed.

"The better to guard your body, my dear," cracked Jack in a wolf-grandma voice.

"I... guess so," said Daniel.

"I have my pack," said Jack. "I can easily roll out my bag."

"What? No, don't be ridiculous. The bed's actually as big as a two-man tent. It's fine."

~

The next day Sam and Teal'c set out with Miriam and her alketairo for the mining outpost, and Kapta prepared Daniel for his lecture. Kapta was wearing a broad sash fastened at one shoulder draped over a particularly nice-looking set of the usual tunic and trousers. Jack caught Daniel eyeing his own BDUs a little ruefully.

"Sorry we don't have your good suit," he said sympathetically.

"Next trip," Daniel said, shrugging it off, and went back to checking his notes with Kapta.

Jack pulled Philip aside and mimed pulling at his own clothes with a grimace, then swept his hand as if drawing a sash like Kapta's over his chest. He pointed at Daniel and gave Philip a questioning look. Philip nodded enthusiastically with a smile, and gestured Jack after him.

There was no doubt Kapta was the head honcho, Jack thought as Philip poked through the man's wardrobe. Philip quickly picked out one of the formal suits, and Jack decided that with a belt it would fit Daniel fine. They brought it back to the guest quarters, and Jack was rewarded with surprised gratitude from Daniel when he gave him the outfit to wear. He deflected the thanks. "You gotta look the part" was all he admitted.

Watching Daniel lecture, though, he was glad he'd given in to the impulse. The auditorium was filled to overflowing with hundreds of scholars. Daniel stood tall and poised, speaking fluently about the course of history after the Neocosmans' departure, and the SGC's discoveries about their place in the galaxy since the opening of the stargate.

This was Daniel in his element. If what they'd learned through the Stargate Program were common knowledge on Earth, Daniel would be one of the world's foremost academics. Jack felt an odd tug inside at seeing him respected here by his peers. In many ways it was a waste of his talents, hauling him around the galaxy, getting him shot at by jaffa. But Jack, selfishly, couldn't imagine doing it without him.

Daniel was besieged by scholars when his lecture was over, and Jack leapt to make sure they wouldn't actually crush in on him. Kapta, too, admonished them to behave, but it was apparent that Daniel was in for a long question and answer session. Still, he looked radiantly happy.

Jack interrupted to check in. "Look, you're going to be tied up here for a while, and I should really get a report to Hammond."

Daniel looked around bemusedly. "Yeah, this is going to be nonstop geek talk for hours. You'll go out of your mind. Plus, there's the news about the trinium as well as the Library. I think Hammond'll be pretty happy." Daniel consulted with Kapta, who looked at Jack and nodded while he responded.

"Kapta's going to get Bacchylides to take the train out with you. Apparently there's a station that's closer to the stargate. And, uh, Kapta said to promise you that Philip will make sure no harm comes to me."

"Well, I was pretty sure you weren't in danger of anything worse than losing your voice from yakking all day, but, good to know."

~

Kapta had been right, there was a station closer to the stargate. If the team had taken the road in the other direction just two hills over, they would have found a large lake, lightly developed with piers and shade structures—obviously a recreation spot. The train had taken a different route, through another farming village, to end up there.

"Fishing?" Jack asked Bacchylides. He cast an invisible line into the lake and pretended to haul in a fish. Bacchylides nodded enthusiastically, and Jack clapped him in the back with pleasure. "Now, _this_ is the place to be!" He looked back regretfully as they headed to the stargate.

"All right, Backy, wait 'til you see this—this is going to blow your mind." In a way Jack was glad it was his crazy artist buddy who was going to be the first Neocosman to see the stargate in action. The scientists were all going to go buggy for it, and he was sure Carter could be kept busy for a year explaining it all to them, but Bacchylides would _get_ it. There was something about the way the worlds of the galaxy were connected that meant something.

He punched in the address for Earth, and waited for the event horizon to swirl open. Bacchylides was appropriately astonished—it _was_ an amazing sight. Jack radioed in, requesting to report to General Hammond. Bacchylides looked alertly at Jack's radio, with strange voices now coming out of it. Jack nodded. "Yup." He pointed through the wormhole and back again towards himself, following the path of the radio waves. "I'm talking to good old Earth, here. Uh, Cosmos."

"Hammond here, Colonel. I see you have someone with you. I take it you've found the descendants of the Alexandrians?"

"Yes, sir." He gave a full report, and the general was indeed happy. He extended the mission to a week, and scheduled the SGC to dial future check-ins so that Jack wouldn't have to make the trip from the city every day.

After he signed off and the wormhole closed, Backy was giving him one of those appraising looks again. Jack looked back, letting him see _the colonel_ for a moment. Backy nodded respectfully. He wasn't the smartest guy in the Mousein, but Jack would put money on him being the most perceptive.

~

Daniel was still the center of attention when they got back. The discussions had moved to a giant room lined with bookshelves and dotted with large work tables. Groups of scholars had broken off to discuss the implications of what they'd heard on their branches of knowledge. But Jack couldn't understand any of it—even if he'd found Latin scholars, their conversation would have outstripped his vocabulary.

One table he recognized, though. There were maps spread out, and it looked like there were historians or geographers trying to figure out where the Americas were—that was one of the big pieces of history Daniel had shared, in order to explain where they had come from.

Jack wandered over, and they latched onto him eagerly. He took a look—their maps of the Mediterranean were excellent, but the scale was completely wrong for describing the scope of the world. He mimed a large sphere in his hands. Did they have a globe? Someone clued in and ran and fetched him a large papier-mâché ball and some charcoal pencils.

Jack tuned out his audience and sketched in the major longitude and latitude lines. Then he dotted in the locations of all the US Air Force bases around the world—places he knew the longitude and latitude for—and sketched the continents around them. He wasn't going to claim completely accurate coastlines, but he thought he did pretty well. He made a mark on the southeast coast of the Mediterranean. "Alexandria," he pointed out. He turned the globe and marked the SGC. "Colorado." The scholars were fascinated—the distances the modern Earth population took for granted were staggering for them to consider.

Daniel appeared at his shoulder. "Very impressive."

"Oh, this old thing? Just something I threw together."

Daniel gave him a nudge.

"How are you holding up?" Jack asked, "They wear you out yet?"

"I'm still going. But, I'll sleep well tonight, I can say that. How'd it go with General Hammond?"

"He's happy—extended us to a week. Gonna dial in for us so that we don't have to make the trek. But Kapta was right. There's another rail line to a sweet little fishing lake not too far from the gate."

"Huh. I'm surprised you didn't volunteer to keep traveling out for the reports, then."

"What kind of bodyguard would that make me? Dereliction of duty. Tsk."

Daniel snorted. "Like you said, pretty much the only part of my body needing guarding is my vocal cords."

"Well I hope tomorrow they leave you alone long enough so that you can start endangering your eyeballs instead, with the Egyptian history stuff."

"That's the plan."

"Peaceful people, good food, beer, books for you, fishing for me—this is some kind of utopia, isn't it?"

"Well, actually, it can't be. Utopia, _ou - topos_ means 'not place'—it's an ideal place that's literally too good to be true."

"But what if it _is_ true?" Daniel just blinked at him. Suddenly Jack had it. " _Eu_ topia!"

"What?" responded Daniel.

"Eutopia. E. U. You know—if euphoria is the opposite of dysphoria, shouldn't eutopia be the opposite of dystopia?"

Daniel pondered it, and responded slowly, "You know, you're absolutely right."

"Hah." Jack _knew_ it. "You know, I _am_ right every once in a while."

"Of course, Jack." Smart alec.

~

The archives were Daniel's eutopia, though, not Jack's. If there was anything more boring than listening to Daniel rattle on in a language Jack didn't understand, it was watching Daniel read a language Jack didn't understand.

Daniel pored over piles of old material, and Jack went to spar at the gym. Daniel chased obscure references, and Jack hung out with Backy. Daniel got into long discussions with Neocosman Egyptologists, and Jack did his check-ins with Carter and the general.

Carter was thrilled, too. They'd discovered that the trinium deposits were modest, but that the refining process the Neocosmans were using was revolutionary. The process itself was cleaner and more efficient than Earth's, and the Neocosmans were able to exploit more properties from the metal. Carter was making as many notes and recordings as she could to bring back.

~

One night in their room, after dinner, Jack put his finger on something that had been rattling around the edges of his perception. "You know, Kapta and Philip—I think there's something a little Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston about their setup."

"Yeah, I've been getting that, too. It's not something I've asked about; I mean it's not really my business. But you can see why it would happen—the alketairos and their sophauthentes spend so much of their time together. If there is a spark..."

"Makes sense, I guess. Plus most of the people with an alketairo are pretty high up—on the Council, or with important positions in the Mousein. It's probably harder for them to date or find someone to marry. I mean, we've met other lecturers with husbands or wives or... domestic partners."

Daniel smiled. "They just call them husbands or wives; there's no stigma about gays or lesbians getting married here."

"Right, okay. But still, why aren't any of the sofa-thinkies married?"

"Maybe it's like Catholic priests on Earth—the sophauthentes are supposed to serve the society? All I've learned is that the alketairos choose their sophauthentes. I don't know whether the alketairos only choose from among the rising leadership, or if it's that anyone an alketairo chooses automatically becomes considered as worthy for leadership. Whichever way it works, having an alketairo is definitely a status symbol. I'm afraid we're giving them the wrong impression about my status, and about yours, by pretending that's what we are."

"Hey, you said it—it's a status thing. You're the top scholar at the SGC." Jack refrained from adding he should be the top scholar on Earth. "If this is what they want to recognize your position, fine. It gives you the authority to negotiate from an advantage."

Daniel looked doubtful. "Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"Yeah, fine. I get to work out at the gym, and stand around doing my dumb soldier thing. How is this different from a normal day?"

"And serve my food at meals." They'd caught on to that pretty quickly, observing the pairs around them.

"So what? I don't have to cut your meat or hand-feed you peeled grapes. It's not a big deal."

"All right." Daniel still looked dubious. But it was only another three days; Jack was fine with it.

~

Carter and Teal'c came back the next day, loaded with information. After they briefed Jack and Daniel, Jack sent them back to the SGC to report in with the general, and get the engineers going on the new technology.

Once they were gone, though, time really dragged. Not that Carter and Teal'c had even been in town with him, but now he knew they were back on base, checking in with everybody and keeping busy. Jack? Jack was just standing around while Daniel played library dervish. Dealing with boredom was just part of life in the military; but the fact was some days it was harder to take than others, and he was having one of those days.

Unfortunately, as per usual, Daniel was the convenient outlet. Jack _might_ have been a wee bit abrupt that evening about demanding Daniel be wrapped up and ready to go in two days' time. Of course Daniel was argumentative back, also as per usual. Jack played his authority card, which he really _should_ know by now never worked on Daniel. No, Daniel just shot back a bunch of snide remarks about the limitations of the military mindset while positioning himself as the voice of ultimate reason. And... well, the upshot was Jack grabbed the sleeping bag from his pack and stormed to the far corner of the room, because there was no way they'd share a bed that night without throttling each other.

~

Daniel was just waking up and Jack was rolling up his sleeping bag when there was a knock at the door. Daniel called out in Greek an invitation to enter. Jack glanced up to see Philip come in just far enough to deliver what Daniel said was the news that there was breakfast on the east patio this morning. Jack saw Philip stiffen as he took in Jack on the other side of the room from Daniel, still in bed.

While Daniel was accepting the invitation, Jack caught a brief look of reproach before Philip schooled his expression and bowed slightly to both of them.

"Well that is the last damn straw," Jack snarled after Philip left.

"What?"

"Now I'm getting attitude because I wasn't glued to your side all night. What? Are there assassins, wild animals, some danger in the Mousein apartments I should know about? Maybe I should just wake up every two hours and check you haven't caught a chill or had a bad dream. We are going home tomorrow, and if you come back, you can just bring yourself along a better servant, because obviously I'm not it."

Daniel did that stubborn tightening of his lips thing when Jack mentioned the end of the mission, but he agreed about the servant thing. "They do seem a little preoccupied with how well you hover over me; it's not exactly fun for me either. But why is it bothering you now? You usually love to do the overprotective thing."

"Hey, when there are unknown natives, weird technologies or rampaging system lords, it's all I can do to keep you from getting killed." Daniel just raised his eyebrows. "Or not," Jack admitted; Daniel _had_ been killed, more than once. "But we're in the middle of a peaceful, civilized society that's safer than freaking Switzerland. What the hell business is it of theirs where I sleep?"

Daniel didn't bother to answer, though. It looked like he was still in a slow burn over Jack's hurry to get home. Instead he just pulled on his clothes with a clipped "Breakfast outdoors today," and headed out the door without looking back. Jack sighed and followed; he'd been ready for breakfast for the past half hour.

And it rankled, but Jack also knew pissy looks from their hosts would be even worse if Daniel showed up at breakfast alone. As much as he enjoyed flouting convention, their mission was to ensure good relations with the Neocosmans, and good relations hinged on the brainiacs respecting Daniel.

"Another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley," he muttered to himself as he followed Daniel down the hallway.

~

The rest of the day, while Daniel was nattering away with Kapta and assorted councillors, Jack hung in the background mentally cataloging the contents of his refrigerator and composing his post-mission grocery list, making bets on next season's hockey standings, ranking favorite _Simpsons_ episodes, and generally calling on decades of experience in staving off mission boredom.

The other alketairos chatted quietly among themselves or hung on the words of their sophauthentes, but once again Jack was out of that loop. Daniel occasionally updated him on negotiations for future visits from SGC personnel and the possibility of establishing an Earth facility on the planet, but as Jack could have predicted with this crowd, they appeared to be veering off frequently on tangents. The geek squad was going to have a blast here.

That afternoon when Jack took off to check in with the general, he mimed the question to Philip, would he keep an eye on Daniel for him. Philip agreed immediately with a nod, but Jack could tell by the worried look in his eyes that he had noticed Jack and Daniel weren't speaking any more than absolutely necessary. Whatever. It was a relief to get the hell away for a while.

Not that there was great news from base. According to Hammond, SG-3 had sustained some injuries while offworld, and SG-9 had caught some alien virus that was keeping Doctor Fraiser tied up in knots. Jack halfheartedly put in an offer for himself and Daniel to stay on Neocosmos, away from base, but Hammond assured him that SG-9 was thoroughly quarantined, and that he was missing the manpower—he'd welcome having Daniel and Jack home.

Jack reported back to Daniel, "Hammond needs us home," along with the news from the base. Daniel just gave him a curt, tight-lipped nod of agreement, and returned to his conversation.

That night they bathed and changed into borrowed formal clothes for a huge dinner. All the scholars and their companions that they'd met shared good wishes, toasting and celebrating the end of the visit. Jack was glad to have Bacchylides sitting on his right, and "talked" as much as possible with him around the language barrier while keeping Daniel's plate and glass full.

Daniel was in full bloom, slightly flushed from the wine (which Jack was making sure he didn't refill too quickly). In his element, with scholars and friends, he was as happy as Jack had ever seen him, and he did feel a little bad for Daniel's sake that they were being pulled away. Not bad enough to plead with General Hammond for an extension, though.

~

As elated as Daniel was through dinner, when they returned to their room, a slight depression settled over him. He silently checked that his gear was ready for the next day and changed into boxers and tee shirt. Sitting up in bed, he curled over his journal, ignoring Jack. Jack took the hint, and rolled out his sleeping bag again.

Just their luck, no sooner was Jack setting up on the far side of the room when Philip came by their room. He took in the sleeping arrangements at a glance and became visibly upset. "Jack," he started, but stalled at the language barrier.

Daniel couldn't figure out what was wrong with Kapta's alketairo, and approached him. Philip kept his eyes on Jack, facing some inner struggle. Finally, he turned to Daniel, blushing deeply.

" _Please forgive me for speaking of this in your presence. I wish to talk to Jack, alketairo to alketairo, about the rift between you and him, but I cannot without your translation._ "

" _The rift? Philip, don't worry about it. We fight all the time, but we always patch things up._ " Philip looked faintly scandalized while Daniel gave Jack the translation of Philip's mission and his response.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "They are seriously, seriously into this."

"No kidding."

Philip eyed Jack's sleeping bag and begged of Daniel, " _Please, do you wish reconciliation? Ask him if he wishes reconciliation._ "

"Um, Jack? Philip wants to know if we want reconciliation."

"Well, yeah, sometime. I didn't think that we were never going to speak again."

"Yeah, that's what I figured, too. But it seems to be a big deal here. A really big deal." Daniel knit his eyebrows in puzzlement.

"I'd rather not rock the boat, with more teams coming and an offworld facility agreement on the line. Tell him yeah, sure. Besides, it's not like we were going to start carrying on a blood feud. It's just one of our little things." Jack hesitated. "Right?"

"Yeah. I mean, sure, I was pissed, but life with SGC is full of disappointments. I'm used to it." Crap. He hadn't meant to whine with self-pity. He'd burned his bridges as an academic scholar a long time ago, and the SGC was still the most amazing opportunity for study, despite the constrictions of the military.

Jack just said, "So tell him yeah, we'll, whatever—reconcile."

Daniel translated, and Philip's face relaxed with relief. He smiled and held out his hand towards Jack, gesturing for him to follow. Jack looked at Daniel and shrugged, and trailed after him.

~

Jack followed Philip to his apartment. Kapta wasn't in the outer rooms, but the bedroom door was closed. Philip motioned Jack to sit in a small lounge and brought out a tray of sweets for them to snack on, then busied himself with making a small pot of tea.

Jack looked around. "Hey, this is nice. Is this by Bacchylides?" Philip looked up at Jack's voice and followed his gesture towards a framed sketch of Philip and Kapta. He smiled in affirmation and made some comment in Greek. "Yeah, it's really you," agreed Jack. The drawing did capture beautifully the trust and love between the two. Their setup was weird as hell, but Jack admitted it seemed to work for them, and felt a quick pang that his own marriage hadn't survived its stresses.

Philip passed Jack a cup of tea, and Jack saluted him with it. "Cheers." It was more pungent than the usual herb teas they'd had— _whew!_ , very pungent—must be an after-dinner treat. Jack was pretty sure that real tea only came from China, so the Alexandrians wouldn't have had any to bring with them, maybe had never had it. Daniel would know how established eastern trade routes were in 400 AD—he'd have to ask him.

Philip asked him something, but all Jack could catch was "Daniel" and what sounded like the word he'd been using when he came to their room, so Jack raised his cup again and toasted, "To reconciliation." Philip looked extremely pleased; apparently he recognized the word Daniel had been using in translation. "Okay, guess we're back in the good graces."

He drained the cup and set down it down, and resisted snagging another little pastry. "Look, this has been swell, but we have a long day tomorrow. Gotta wrap things up, trek home, get poked by the doc, debrief. You know how it is. I'm just gonna..." He crooked his thumb back towards his room. Philip nodded and rose with him to walk him back.

~

Daniel raised his eyebrows at Jack's return. "So?"

"So," Jack replied.

Philip peeked quickly around the room and saw, as Jack did, that Daniel had put away Jack's sleeping bag while he was gone and was now sitting well to the left on the bed. Philip gave them both a radiant smile and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Jack nodded towards where the sleeping bag had been and crooked an eyebrow at Daniel. Daniel shrugged.

Jack shrugged back.

"So?" Daniel asked again.

"This whole culture/subculture thing is your area, but my guess is the bodyguards have their own little support system. I think I just got tea and sympathy. But, still..." He gestured, trying to find the words. "Still focused on me knowing my place."

"Ladies' sewing circle? Kaffeeklatsch?"

Jack gave him a mock glare. "Don't even start."

Daniel felt a knot of tightness ease a little. It was actually good to be talking again. Of course they would have gotten there anyway, on their own. He put down his journal. Jack changed into his boxers and tee shirt and climbed into the other side of the bed, and they said their goodnights after lights out.

~

Jack's voice woke him, calling him from far away. As Daniel regained consciousness, he realized Jack's voice really was far away—he was on the other side of the room again, but sounded terrible.

"Jack! What is it?" He checked his watch; he'd only been asleep about an hour.

"I feel sick; I don't know what's wrong." In the light Daniel could see that Jack looked pale and sweaty. He jumped to go and check on him.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"No!" Jack held up his hand before Daniel could approach. "Don't... don't come close. What if this is some kind of flu, something contagious? I don't want you to get sick."

Daniel paused. "Is it like a flu? Or maybe you just ate something that disagreed with you. I feel fine, though... What are your symptoms?" He was torn between going over to help Jack and being held back by Jack's obvious reluctance to letting him approach.

"Feverish, achy, tired. Feel weak. Just... can you get a doctor? Maybe they know if there's something going around."

"Of course. I'll be right back! Hang on."

He rushed to Kapta's apartment, sorry to wake them at midnight, but more worried about Jack than anything. Philip answered the door in a night wrap, and Daniel could see Kapta in the bedroom doorway. " _Come quick, please_ ," Daniel begged. " _Jack is sick._ " Daniel saw Philip and Kapta exchange a very puzzled look.

Kapta asked his alketairo, " _Are they not reconciled?_ "

" _Yes! They said they wanted to. Jack was here. He participated..._ "

Daniel didn't know what the hell they were talking about. If he was still angry with Jack, would he be pounding on their door at midnight in his underwear, frantic over his welfare? Well, actually, he would; he was never so angry with Jack that he wished him ill. For more than a second or two.

" _Just, come! He needs a doctor!_ " He explained Jack's symptoms as they rushed back to the guest quarters, and his heart sank as Kapta and Philip exchanged an even more puzzled look.

_Just please be okay, Jack._

~


	2. Chapter 2

When they entered the room, Philip took a look at Jack on the far side of the room, and set his lips in an angry line. Jack heard him spit something out in Greek at him, turn on his heel and leave. Daniel sounded thoroughly confused as he asked for some sort of clarification from Kapta. Kapta was looking snippy as well, but stayed to discuss... something... further with Daniel before leaving himself. 

"Oh god." Daniel looked a little pale himself. 

"So, what, are they getting a doctor?" Jack croaked out. 

"Um, no. There's nothing a doctor can do for this." 

"They know what it is? Will it go away on its own?" 

"They know what it is, and it won't go away on its own." 

Jack felt himself pale even further, if possible. This had so not seemed like one of those missions where somebody was going to die. 

"No, no, Jack." Daniel had seen his look. "I am not letting you die." He chewed his lip a second. "Was there, um." He stuttered over his question. "Was there another... symptom... you didn't mention?" 

Jack looked a little warily at him. 

"Jack, I am so sorry. I really, really screwed this up." Daniel scrubbed his face with his hands. "It's one of those cultural assumptions things. Alketairo... well I guess in this instance _hetairo_ translates as more than just 'companion.' Apparently they mean it more like, well, 'concubine.' " 

" _What?_ " 

"Yeah. And they take it really, really seriously. Philip thinks you're incredibly derelict in your duty by not being in bed with me." 

"Damn, I really am the worst servant ever." 

Daniel gamely joined in his attempt at humor. "Yeah, pretty much. I don't think you should retire here." 

"But what...?" Jack waved his arm feebly around his body. 

"From what I could gather, the, ah, tea you drank tonight? It's part of some formal reconciliation ritual. When there is a disagreement between an alketairo and sophauthentes, the alketairo drinks the tea and the reconciliation is achieved, ah, sexually. By fulfilling his or her concubine duties, the alketairo acknowledges that the pledge to service—I guess 'service' in every sense of the word—is stronger than death." 

" _Death?_ " 

"That's, apparently, um, the outcome of, uh, not fulfilling..." Daniel trailed off. 

"Oh god." Jack flopped onto his back with his arm over his eyes, then rolled back onto his side. He couldn't look Daniel in the eye. "As I was trying to go to sleep, I started feeling this... itch—this compulsion to, um, touch you." 

"Touch?" 

"You know... _touch_." 

"Ah."

"Well. So I didn't know... what, wine with dinner, some kind of aphrodisiac in the pastries? I was kind of... freaking out and it was getting stronger, so I got out of bed. I tried to, you know, keep a lid on it, stay away from you, and I started feeling sick. And that just got worse and worse until I had to wake you up to find a doctor. But I couldn't let you near me because I was afraid I'd... well..."

"Touch." 

"Yeah." 

"Ah."

~

Daniel mused a moment, but he could hear Jack's breathing getting more labored. Philip had been angry at Jack for not fulfilling his duties, but after he'd stalked off, Kapta had "reminded" Daniel that sophauthentes had responsibilities towards those in their care, too—with a pointed glare at him and nod towards Jack struggling on the floor. As if Daniel needed a reminder that he would do anything for Jack.

"C'mon, get into bed." Daniel helped a severely weakened Jack off the floor. 

"What... What are you..." Jack rose wearily and reluctantly. He kept his hands balled into fists, though he apparently couldn't stop himself from resting his head on Daniel's shoulder and breathing in deeply. Was Jack _sniffing_ him?

"I'm not letting you die," insisted Daniel, pulling and pushing Jack into their bed. 

"Daniel..." 

"Jack... shut up. Just... don't, don't worry about it. We'll do this, you'll live, end of story." Daniel stripped off his boxers and climbed into the bed, lying on his left side with his back to Jack. 

"Just... give me a minute." These weren't the most erotic circumstances, and he had to close his eyes and relax a bit before taking himself in hand. Once he had managed some response, he rolled back a bit and pulled Jack's right arm over him, tugging Jack to spoon loosely behind him. "Okay. Just, lie back and think of England." He placed Jack's palm over the back of his hand, interspersed their fingers, and resumed... touching. 

Jack moaned a little as his fingers felt the skin of Daniel's cock, and his hand tightened reflexively around Daniel's as they stroked together. Apparently the "itch" the tea had given him was overcoming any inhibition against masturbating his best friend. Daniel could feel Jack's forehead resting against the back of his neck, the sound of Jack's breaths getting more ragged as his own did. 

It had been a long time since Daniel had felt any hand but his own. Actually, a while for even that, since he and Jack had been together nearly constantly this whole mission. So despite the awkwardness of the situation, his body responded. He managed to keep from crying out as he came, though to his surprise he heard Jack moan. 

Daniel gently unhanded himself and untangled his fingers from Jack's, then pulled his tee shirt off to swipe his come from their hands and where it had landed on the sheet. 

"So, uh... how are you feeling?" he asked quietly, patting Jack's arm where it wrapped over his side. "Still sick or better?" 

"Better," said Jack. 

"Okay. Good." Daniel pulled away to reach for his boxers on the floor. 

Jack rolled back onto his back. "Yeah, it's weird. I seriously felt like I was going to die, and now... Maybe a little bit of ache still, but basically I'm fine." He rolled out of bed, strong and steady, and headed over to his pack. 

Daniel watched his back as Jack pulled a clean pair of boxers out, then suddenly realized... He averted his eyes as Jack headed into the bathroom. He pulled his own underwear back on and waited. Eventually Jack came out in his clean pair and climbed back into bed. He had really...? Without any stimulation? Jack hadn't been rubbing up against him. Maybe there was something in that tea about getting off on serving. He shied away from thinking about it, not wanting to intrude any more on Jack's privacy than they'd just been forced to. 

"Lights out?" Daniel asked. 

"Yeah." 

The silence stretched in the dark. 

"Daniel...." Very quietly. 

"Yeah?" 

"Thanks." 

"No problem." 

More silence. 

"Daniel?" 

"Yeah, Jack?"

"Are we... okay? Are you okay? With..." 

"Now that you're not going to die, yeah. I'm fine." 

"Okay." 

"Goodnight Jack." 

"Goodnight."

~

Daniel's slow climb to consciousness the next morning turned abrupt when he cracked his eyes and saw Jack sitting up, pale, sweating and curling his hands into tight fists.

"Jack! Again?" 

Jack nodded glumly, face twisting with pain. 

"Dammit! It really sounded like this tea was a one-time thing. Let me get more information from Kapta. Maybe there's something else we need to do to get this right. I'll be right back." 

Jack nodded stiffly, then slumped miserably. 

Daniel pulled on pants and a shirt as he ran out the door, racing back to Kapta's. 

" _It's Jack—he's sick again. Even though last night, we... you know, he, ah, fulfilled his duties and he was better. But now..._ " 

Kapta and Philip looked at the frantic Daniel and then at each other. This time they looked stumped. 

Daniel's heart sank. " _Well, tell me about this tea and the way it works—everything the reconciliation is supposed to involve._ " 

Philip looked beyond puzzled, but Kapta suddenly got a look of horrified realization. " _You don't have the ritual of Reconciliation._ " 

" _No,_ " replied Daniel, " _We don't. I never heard of it before last night._ " 

Kapta looked extremely apologetic. " _It has been tradition here for over a thousand years—we don't even think twice about it. But of course the herbs used for the tea are native to this world, not the old one. I am sorry, it didn't even occur to us. When you had been fighting and said that you wanted Reconciliation..._ " 

" _Well, can you give me the short explanation of the tea? Because right now, Jack is feeling horrible again._ " 

" _The lore says that the tea restores the alketairo and sophauthentes to their true relationship. When this occurs, the herbs will then leave the body of the alketairo. Pharmacologically we know that the sexual fluids of the sophauthentes are necessary to end the symptoms. It is very, very rare, though, that the tea does not leave the body right away after resuming sexual relations. Jack did have contact with your ejaculate?_ " 

Daniel blushed brightly. " _Er, yes. That's all there is to it? There's no other part to the ritual? Words that need to be said or any other actions?_ " 

" _No. There have been various formalities at different times through the ages, but they were only merely ritual. We're more modern about it now—basically just tea and sex._ " Kapta considered the problem. " _I think we should go consult with Pothinus, our master herbalist. Meanwhile, you should return to Jack and relieve his symptoms._ " 

" _Yes. Of course. Of course I should._ " Oh boy. 

Daniel raced back to the room to find Jack flopped weakly on the bed, wincing in pain. "Well, the only news is that sexual fluids are necessary to abate the symptoms, and that supposedly the tea will leave your body once we are 'restored to our true relationship.' " 

"Um, Daniel, I hate to point out here, but I don't really recall our true relationship involving sexual fluids." 

"Yeah, I know." Daniel let out a puff of breath. He'd been worried about the same thing. "That might be a sort of catch-22 in this situation. Kapta's gone off to consult with some herbalist, but in the meantime, he said there's nothing for it, but to..." Daniel waved his hand vaguely.

"Ah." Jack covered his face and scrubbed with his hands a moment.

"Yeah, I know." 

Daniel sat on the edge of the bed to strip off his clothes, then slid sideways under the sheet. Suddenly he sat upright. "Well there's one thing..." 

Jack raised his eyebrows questioningly. 

"In our true relationship you're not my concubine. I mean, I've never been the kind of guy to just... 'I got mine,' you know? And I don't see you as the sex slave type, normally. You're definitely not the slave type with me, anyway." 

"Um, Daniel, I'm totally losing you here. What are you getting at?" 

"Just, well, in our true relationship, we're friends. I mean I know you're the leader of SG-1..."

"Oh you do know that, do you?" 

Daniel rolled his eyes. Even on his deathbed, Jack had to get in the digs. But he wasn't going to be derailed; he was on a roll. "What I'm trying to say is that we're more equals than the Neocosmans. Maybe if we were... reciprocal... it would be more true to our relationship." 

"You mean if we..." Jack gestured back and forth between them. 

"Yeah, exactly!" 

Jack looked like if he had the strength he'd be laughing hysterically. Emphasis on the hysteria. Daniel supposed it did sound a little bizarre to be getting enthusiastic about the idea of jerking Jack off because it might the answer to their predicament. 

"Daniel," Jack drawled. 

"Yeah Jack?" 

"Are you actually okay with that?" 

"What? Oh." Daniel let the idea sink in as reality rather than the abstract. "Seriously Jack, I think this might be the answer. Besides, I mean, we pretty much have to do this, and the way we were last night? It feels too much like... like using you." 

Jack dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and groaned. "This is all just so..." 

"I know. I know. It's... okay, though. Really." 

Daniel jumped out of bed and ran naked across the room to his pack, then ran back and jumped in, tossing a bottle of lotion between them. He could tell it had clicked for Jack that Daniel was determined to go through with it, when he matter-of-factly peeled out of his own clothes. 

Okay, this was it then. 

They rolled onto their sides, facing each other but with their heads tilted down a little, not looking each other. Daniel reached out a tentative hand to graze down the narrow trail of graying hair from Jack's navel to groin. Jack breathed in sharply at the touch and his cock began to swell. Daniel ran his finger down the length of it. Jack's quiet moan in response made Daniel start to harden, and Jack grasped Daniel with a hand that betrayed the desperation to touch the tea forced on him. 

They each took a handful of lotion and started stroking each other in earnest, not trying for anything fancy—just to get it over with. Still, it was so different to be held by someone else, Jack's strong, callused soldier's hand. Embarrassment kept Daniel from making too much noise or pumping his hips too wantonly, though as they got closer to the finish, he couldn't hold back little gasps and grunts. 

A faster stroke with an extra twist from Jack pushed Daniel over the edge, holding his breath to avoid yelling out. From some distant place he noted that yes, Jack was definitely in contact with his ejaculate, so that should work out then. His orgasm caused him to add some sudden squeezes to his grasp on Jack, sending him over as well with a shout of "Oh god, Daaa..." 

They gently let go of each other and lay there panting. Daniel rolled onto his back and reached for a far corner of the sheet to wipe his hand a bit. When their breathing returned to normal, Daniel ventured, "So...?" 

Jack took stock a moment, then said, "Great, actually!" 

Daniel put on a deceptively innocent face. "Well, I did my best, but I meant, how are you feeling?" 

"Jesus christ, Daniel!" Jack whacked him with a pillow. "I did mean that's how I was feeling!" But he was laughing, too. "Seriously, I feel a hundred percent. No aches, nothing." 

"Huh, maybe that was it, then." 

"God, I hope so. That's just surreal. I mean I was in serious agony, felt like I was going downhill fast, and now there's nothing. I'm the picture of health. Hey! First shower!" Jack jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. 

"Just leave some hot water for me!" Daniel yelled after him.

~

They met with Kapta, Philip and the herbalist, Pothinus, over breakfast, and hoped to hear that Jack's full recovery was good news. Daniel rattled off a bunch of Greek that Jack hoped wasn't a detailed description of their surprise sex life, while Jack kept his head down and focused on his sweet roll to keep from blushing.

"So. Philip wants to know whether you passed the tea in your urine. He says you will know it when it leaves your body." 

"Um, I don't think so, then. Damn!" 

"Well maybe soon, you know? I mean, it probably takes a little time after..." 

"Maybe." 

"Can you go now?" 

"No." 

"You should just try." 

"Because you're not pulling the car over, once we get on the road?" 

"Right, sorry." But at least they were both smiling. 

Daniel collected as much information as they had, which wasn't much. The tea was part of an ancient rite of Reconciliation between alketairo and sophauthentes, and pretty much worked the way the Neocosmans wanted and expected it to, so it hadn't been studied the way treatments for illness were. 

Pothinus mentioned that there was anecdotal evidence that the scent and voice of the sophauthentes seemed to play a role for the alketairo, as well as the sexual fluids. Jack actually blushed when Daniel passed on that information. Daniel gave him the questioning look until Jack admitted, "Yeah, it helped when I smelled you." 

"Probably pheromones. There's a very basic connection to the limbic brain. Voice?"

Jack squirmed even more. "It also... helped, when you, um, made noise." 

"Helped?" 

"Helped. It's like there's some sort of connection between..." He windmilled his hand inarticulately. "...arousal and relief of the symptoms." 

"Whose arousal, mine or yours?" 

Jack just wanted the floor to swallow him up. "Both. Well actually, your arousal kinda causes my..." 

"Oh." Daniel's mouth was making an O. 

"Yeah." 

"Huh." 

Daniel turned back to Pothinus with another series of questions, then summarized for Jack. "Okay, like I heard before, usually this is a one-shot deal, taken care of. But the reports are that when the tea doesn't leave the body right away that these, uh, episodes occur morning and evening, possibly tied to sunlight or circadian rhythms, I'm not sure... Anyway, the good news is that with this, er, condition, you're not going to fall into a coma in the middle of the work day if you can't..." Daniel groped for the words with a quick embarrassed smile, "grab a quickie in the supply closet." 

"Oh god. Thanks so much for that visual." Jack folded his arms onto the table and dropped his head onto them. He suddenly raised it again. "There's no way I can be on active duty if I still have this! And this is a 'don't ask, don't tell' nightmare!"

The Neocosmans grasped Jack's mood, if not his words. Philip was particularly upset and rattled off some rapid and apparently heartfelt Greek. Kapta chimed in as well. 

"They're apologizing. They just didn't realize this would be foreign to us, and such an upsetting experience. Of course they're horrified that you've had such a painful time of it. Apparently for them it's kind of a cross between recreational drug use and 'makeup sex is the best sex'—but with all their master/concubine stuff mixed in. Philip feels especially awful because he asked you to participate in the rite and gave you the tea." 

Jack looked at their faces and could easily read their sincerity. "Oh whatever. Shit happens. Especially to me. It's just as much my fault for letting them think our scientists have the same kind of status at the SGC as they do here. Do you think it'll blow things if you explain you work for the military, rather than the other way around?"

Daniel gave him a gentle chide. "Diplomat, here. Rather than getting into the long and sordid history of jocks versus nerds in modern America, I think I can get across the importance of the military in a world with internal and external dangers—build up your role, without tearing mine down."

Jack waved him to go ahead with the confession, which caused the Neocosmans to erupt with even more apologies, that Daniel then tried to top. After a long and heartfelt discussion, things settled down again. Daniel gave Jack a quick update. "Well, we're down to the 'importance of not making assumptions' part of intercultural relations. We're pretty talked out." Philip looked at Jack, equally awed and chagrined. Jack gave him a forgiving clasp on the shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, really." Despite the language barrier, Philip got the message. 

Relations smoothed over with the Neocosmans, Daniel turned to Jack. "So, what do you want to do about this tea problem? Try to get treatment here? Head back now and get Janet on it?" 

Jack eyed Pothinus. "This guy's the expert, right?" Daniel nodded. "He's given us pretty much everything he's got?" 

"Yeah." 

"And everybody seems convinced that this will pass. I mean nobody's ever had this... condition... permanently, right?" 

Daniel checked with the Neocosmans, just to be sure. "No, it passes." 

"I say we stay on schedule—finish up the mission and return at fourteen hundred hours. If it's not over with, there's still the rest of the day before the next, um, episode, and maybe the doc will figure something out before then." 

"Okay, but we should radio in a heads-up ahead of time, so that she's somewhat prepared for another patient." Jack shot him a look. "Not... details. This just—it reminds me of that palace light show; it acts kind of like an addiction. But with very rapid withdrawal symptoms and even faster recovery." 

Jack thought that over. "Yeah, it kind of is. Maybe whatever kind of tests she used for that, or for when you were addicted to the sarcophagus, would work." 

"Okay." Daniel asked Pothinus if they might have a sample of the tea to bring back for study, which was agreed to immediately. They returned to their suite for their belongings and rendezvoused with the councillors who were going to accompany them to the gate. 

At the rail station, Pothinus met them to hand over a sample of the tea herbs, which Daniel carefully stowed in a pocket. Bacchylides also met them to send them off, and pulled Jack aside on the platform. He handed Jack a large paper tube, with a smile, but when Jack tried to open it, Bacchylides shook his head no and patted his pack. 

"Do not open until Christmas, huh? I can't guarantee I'll wait that long—I'm a notorious peeker." Jack grinned, but he dutifully pulled off his pack and stowed his gift. "Thanks, buddy." Jack pulled him into a manly hug. "I'll miss you. Hope I can come back soon." If he didn't die from _withdrawal symptoms_ first. 

Daniel continued his conversation with the councillors during the train ride, while Jack watched the view glide past. When they arrived at the last station, the councillors and their alketairos started arranging an early picnic lunch while Jack and Daniel hiked out to the gate and opened a wormhole to radio the SGC. 

"Colonel O'Neill, is everything all right?" 

"At the moment, fine, General. But I seem to have picked up a little... condition, and wanted to apprise Doctor Fraiser before we come back in." 

"Colonel, are you ill?" 

"Like I said, at the moment, fine, but that may not last." 

"Anything contagious?"

"No, sir. Something I drank. No danger to anyone else." 

"I see." Jack could almost hear Hammond's lips purse. 

"Tea, sir," he sighed. "We are not talking a hangover here." 

"All right. Unfortunately Doctor Fraiser is in the middle of experimenting on a treatment for SG-9 right now and can't make it. Is there anything I can tell her to prepare her for your arrival?" 

"Well, sir. Do you remember the light on P4X-347?" He didn't need to see Hammond's face to know exactly what his reaction was to that. "Whatever testing she did for that condition might be useful here." 

"So you're addicted to this tea?" 

"Not exactly, sir..." Jack started to lose his nerve here. 

"General," Daniel broke in. "You've heard about the importance of the, um, relationship between the scholars and their, er, bodyguards here." 

"Yes, Doctor Jackson, of course. It's quite the talk of the social scientists here, let me tell you." 

"Well, sir, apparently this tea is a method of ensuring the... bond between a bodyguard and his scholar by, uh, enforcing the need for them to... remain in proximity." Jack gave Daniel an appreciative "Damn, good save!" look.

"You mean to say you and Colonel O'Neill are addicted to having to stay together?" 

"It only kicks in intermittently, and Jack is the one who suffers the physical consequences, but that's essentially it, sir." 

"I see. Well, I'll pass this on to Doctor Fraiser right away, and we'll get you into the infirmary as soon as you return. Colonel, you'll be fine until then?" 

"Apparently, sir." 

"All right. We'll see you in..." He checked his watch. "Three hours. Hammond out." 

Jack cut the radio connection to close the wormhole. "Okay. Hopefully it won't be too embarrassing to have had that broadcast around the control room. Let's see what we can get done here." 

Lunch was waiting for them when they returned to their party, and they reviewed with the Neocosmans various functions the SGC might want fulfilled at an offworld facility here. Daniel consulted with Jack often, saying that next to Hammond he probably knew the most about the SGC's big-picture plans. 

When they were through eating, the group hiked to various sites between the rail station and the stargate and discussed the pros and cons of each for meeting Earth's needs. The Neocosmans were also now interested in building facilities nearby, to increase the collaboration between the two worlds. 

Finally it was approaching time for Jack and Daniel to return, so they all headed together towards the stargate. For the councillors, this would be the first time they had seen the gate open. More than anything this brought home to them that they had been entertaining visitors from the world their ancestors had left behind so long ago that the journey was more legend than real. 

Daniel dialed up the coordinates for Earth and punched in their ID code on the GDO. He and Jack stepped aside and watched their new friends take in the wonder of the stargate in action for the first time. It was easy to become jaded after watching it several times a day, but the kawoosh and the event horizon were truly beautiful. Daniel waved Carter's physicist friend to mount the platform to touch what looked like water, and smiled at his wonder. 

Jack clasped forearms with Philip when Daniel embraced Kapta. He was still quietly freaked about the tea, but not to the extent that he would let it get in the way of developing relations with the Neocosmans. 

They climbed the platform to the stargate, and Daniel said something short and gracious before stepping through. Jack gave them a casual salute and smile, then followed.

~

General Hammond met them in the gateroom, and Sam and Teal'c were there as well.

"Are you all right, Colonel?" Hammond asked. 

"Still fine, General. Should be good for the next several hours, but I'd like to get the doc on this as soon as possible." 

"All right, I'd like both of you to report to the infirmary immediately. If it's possible, I'd like a short debriefing afterwards, but follow Doctor Fraiser's orders on that." 

"Will do, sir." 

"General, we do have several excellent opportunities for collaboration with the Neocosmans." 

"I'm glad to hear it, Doctor Jackson. I look forward to hearing much more about it when you're available. Good work, son."

Jack and Daniel headed towards the infirmary with their other two team members alongside them. "Welcome home Daniel Jackson, O'Neill." 

"Thanks Teal'c. It's good to be back." 

"Sir, are you okay? We heard you radioed in a health problem. Something about alketairos and sophauthentes?" 

"Yeah, I picked up a little something. We'll get the doc to straighten it out." Daniel and Jack both saw Sam's scrunched brow. Jack assured her, "It's nothing you and Teal'c have, honestly. And don't worry about me—it comes and goes, and it's supposed to wear off eventually. Really, don't worry about it." 

"Hey, Sam, how's it going with that new trinium refining process? Are you going to be able to reverse engineer it?" And... Sam's off in technobabble land. Score one for Daniel Jackson's Sam derailing strategies. 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack turn to Teal'c. "So what happened to SG-3? I heard they got shot up pretty badly." Yup. They were a one-two punch—diversionary tactics accomplished. Just a couple of returning team members wanting to catch up on base gossip. 

As they reached the infirmary door, Jack reached out to squeeze Teal'c, then Sam on the shoulder. "It's good to see you guys again. Lunch in the commissary tomorrow?" Daniel could see why he didn't want to make any plans for the evening, but lunch should be safe.

"Sure thing, sir!" Sam gave him a cheery smile and bounced off. 

"I look forward to it, O'Neill. Daniel Jackson." Teal'c inclined his head to each of them in turn and proceeded gravely down the hallway after Sam. 

Jack and Daniel eyed each other nervously, and entered the infirmary. 

It was a zoo. Three members of SG-3 were still taking up beds, and Siler was in there from whatever his latest misadventure was. Health care workers milled like ants in and out between the infirmary and the iso lab where SG-9 was quarantined, and Daniel knew there would be at least one bioresearch lab also buzzing with activity, working on a cure for their bug. 

Janet bustled over to them, looking a little relieved to see Jack on his feet and looking well. Of course, she had seen perfectly healthy people go suicidal, then comatose in the "light" incident, so she was probably still worried. 

Before she could lead them over to a free bed, Daniel stepped close and said in a low voice, "A private room, Janet. Please." He glanced up at Jack, whose face was a careful blank. "No recordings." 

Janet's eyebrows raised in surprise. 

"Seriously, Janet. Please." 

"Okay," she drawled out slowly, and led them across the hall to a private room. "What's going on here? I got the recording of your radio message to the general." 

Daniel rubbed the hair at the back of his head. "Janet, I know you're a doctor and need all the information to treat your patients. But you're also in the Air Force, and there are certain policies you are supposed to follow. What do you do when there's a conflict?" 

Janet pursed her lips and replied thoughtfully, "My patients come first. But anything that jeopardizes their team or this base, I have to report. I won't say someone is fit for duty if they're not." 

Jack signaled Daniel with a nod towards Janet to continue. 

"Okay Janet, here's the thing. Jack was given this tea." He fished into his pocket and pulled out the sample. "It has caused him to have two episodes so far of increasing pain and weakness, which can reportedly progress to death. The only way that these symptoms can be relieved is through sexual contact. With me." 

Janet looked like she was barely refraining from dropping her jaw open. She glanced at Jack, who gave her an embarrassed shrug; he, pretty understandably, hadn't said a word so far. "I see." 

"So basically, the way I see it, is that just like all the other weird crap we've gone through since we started going through the stargate—Jack's been afflicted with this condition. But if this goes into a file somewhere, some politico looking for dirt on SGC could raise a big 'gay colonel' stink, ruin Jack's career and possibly the SGC's reputation as well." 

"So you don't want me to keep a record of what's really going on here?" 

"Not that particular detail, no." 

Janet didn't think about it long. "I do need to follow the course of this condition and I will need notes. I can come up with codewords for sexual activities, and no one else will know." 

Daniel felt light-headed with relief, and Jack uttered his first word since seeing her: "Thanks." 

She continued, "I agree that this is the sort of thing that could become a political football for absolutely no valid reason. However." She gave them her stern doctor look. In a facility full of airmen and marines, there was no doubt who the toughest person on base was. "You are not going to be cleared for active duty while you are at risk of falling prey to these 'withdrawal' symptoms." 

Jack shrugged. He'd figured on that. 

"And I will have to give a verbal report to General Hammond. You two work closely together and you are friends. You also work closely with two other team members. Like it or not, there has been a different dynamic inserted into your relationship, and the general needs to know what's going on to determine whether this will affect your work together on SG-1." 

"Janet!"

"Doc!" 

She held up her hands. "Obviously we need to get you better first, Colonel. And I have every faith that you and Doctor Jackson will do your best to work through any issues that may arise from this... situation. I also have every faith that General Hammond will trust you to do so as well. However, it is only fair to Major Carter and Teal'c, as well as to both of you, that your CO has the facts he needs to make the best decisions for the team and for this command." She softened. "He's not a bigot, and he knows you both well. Trust him." 

Daniel glanced at Jack and they both shrugged acceptance. They didn't actually have a choice, and Janet was right about Hammond. 

"So, tell me everything you know about what's going on here." 

Janet checked Jack and took blood samples while he described for her the episodes of illness he had suffered. Daniel took over with clinical science speak when Jack stumbled on describing how his symptoms were relieved. Daniel finished up with what little they had learned from the Neocosmans about how the tea worked. 

Janet also ran a quick, standard post-mission physical on Daniel. She checked her watch. "Neocosmos is two hours ahead of us, right? So if there's another episode it won't happen for, what, at least three and a half hours? Maybe more?" 

"At least." 

"Daniel, why don't you go give General Hammond a debriefing on the mission while I take Colonel O'Neill for some brain scans. I'd like to see if I can see anything going on now, and to have some baselines to compare with activity during an episode." 

"Okay. I'll come back and find you when I'm done." He addressed the last mostly to Jack. He felt nervous about leaving him, and realized that other than running for help from Kapta, he had stuck close to Jack since this whole thing had started. Well, naturally. When the consequences could be death if he wasn't there... 

Jack nodded okay to him, and Daniel could see in his eyes he was realizing the same thing. "I'll be back," he promised again.

~

General Hammond was extraordinarily pleased to hear of the relations Daniel had built with the Neocosmans, and congratulated him sincerely on his excellent work. He was worried about Jack, though, and wanted more information. Daniel hedged on the details, and told him Doctor Fraiser would fill him in. He did, though, assure the general that there was no ill intent on the part of the Neocosmans, that it was one of those intercultural misunderstandings.

"Actually, sir, I feel like it was my fault," Daniel confessed. "I didn't correctly grasp some of the meanings of the words they were using, and Jack has borne the brunt of it." 

"Doctor Jackson, you are one of the finest linguists in the world, but there's only so much you can do. You of all people know it's not an exact science. I am sure you did your best to make sense of the information being given to you, and you can't be faulted if different cultures turn out to be, well, different." He stood and patted Daniel kindly on the back as he turned to leave.

"Yes, sir." Daniel didn't really feel absolved, but the general was a good man, and he had a good point. It was the same thing he told himself, until he pictured Jack collapsed on the floor, grimacing in pain. Then "the best you can do" wasn't good enough. 

Daniel went back in search of Jack, and found him lying on a testing bed while Janet looked at brightly colored images of brain sections. He went over to the bed. "Hey." 

"Hey." 

"Hammond's pleased with the results of the mission, anyway." 

"Good." 

Daniel stood there silently, arms hugged tight across his chest. 

"So, what, are you just going to hover?" 

Daniel chewed on his lower lip a second. "Yes." 

"No." Not unkindly, though. "Go, go check on your office. Unpack your books, start your report, all your post-mission... stuff." 

"You okay?" 

"Yeah. Go on. Shoo!" 

An almost imperceptible edge in Jack's voice told Daniel he wasn't being entirely truthful. But Daniel also knew that Jack was serious about him taking off for a while. "Okay. I'll be in my office if you need me." 

"I'll be fine, Daniel. I thought I was supposed to be your bodyguard, not the other way around." 

"Fine." Daniel unwrapped his arms to touch Jack's shoulder before leaving. 

It took Daniel an hour just to get his books put away and perform triage on his e-mail. He was about to tackle his mission report outline when the phone rang. It was Janet, asking him to get down to the lab where she'd been running Jack's brain scans. 

"Is he okay?" 

"Actually, he may be starting another episode." 

Daniel glanced at his watch. "But it's only a little after four o'clock on Neocosmos, two fifteen here. This shouldn't be happening." 

"I know. We don't know what triggered it. But I want to take advantage of this opportunity to chart its progress. Daniel, do you have your pack from the mission with you?" 

"Er, yeah." 

"Can you bring a worn tee shirt, something that smells like you? I want to test that part of Pothinus's theory while I can." 

"Uh, sure. Okay, I'll be right there." 

"Oh, and Daniel, there will probably be a lot of waiting around, so bring your laptop or some other work." 

Daniel rooted through his pack. Actually... he pulled out a clean shirt and switched it for the one he was wearing. He'd been hiking around in it all day and his scent on it would be fresh. So to speak. 

He ran down to the lab, and found Janet poring over colored brain maps again. Jack looked okay and Daniel gave him the questioning eyebrows. Jack opened and closed his hand a few times. "Itch." 

"Ah." Both of the previous episodes he had only seen Jack farther along in the process, when he was physically ill. 

He dropped off the tee shirt with Janet. "Thanks, Daniel. I actually want to control for your presence, so could you wait in the next room? I'll keep you updated and call on you if I need you." 

He didn't much want to leave, but knew that Janet needed to figure out what was going on with Jack.

~

When Daniel had cleared the room, Janet approached the bed. "All right, Colonel. I have blood samples and readings of your stats and brain activity when you're asymptomatic and when you are in this first, 'carrot' phase." Jack gave her big "shocked innocent" eyes.

"Are you talking dirty to me, doc?" 

"I hadn't planned on it!" She laughed, "Though I can see how it might sound that way. Apparently this tea is used to reinforce the alketairos' behavior with two tools. Well, three, really. But first it tries the carrot: 'Sex feels good.' Then it tries the stick: 'No sex feels bad.' Finally there's the ultimate stick: ''Have sex with your master or you will die.' " 

"So basically you're telling me that after you abuse my ears with carrot innuendo, you're going to start in with the dirty stick talk. I'm too young for this sort of double entendre." 

"Give me a break, Colonel. A girl's got to get her fun somewhere." And Jack-the-joker won another round; he'd always figured it was a good idea to make your doctor laugh when you could. "Anyway, I want to get readings on everything during this phase-I-shall-not-name when you are exposed to Daniel's scent." 

"Not much of one. He uses all those unscented products because of his allergies." 

"All the better. What you really want are his pheromones, not what grooming products he wears." She checked all the monitors, positioned herself at the brain mapping terminal, then tossed him Daniel's tee shirt. "All right, Colonel. Take a good whiff." 

Jack sniffed. It was a little scary how much he _liked_ sniffing the shirt. "Ah, fresh as a daisy, that's our Danny boy." Janet just arched one brow and kept focusing on the screen, glancing at the monitor results occasionally, too. 

"Keep breathing that tee shirt in." After working her computer screen voodoo, she came over to take yet another blood sample. 

"You're a freaking vampire, lady," Jack groused. "At this rate I'm going to die of blood loss before anything else." 

"Now, Colonel, I would hate for you to suffer any ill effects from low blood sugar." She crossed to a small refrigerator that Jack had always assumed held tissue samples. He was wrong. 

"For me?" Jack's whole mood brightened as she brought him the plastic-wrapped plate of pie and fork. He didn't care if he sounded like a five-year-old. Pie! She grabbed Daniel's shirt and took it away to her desk.

"Keep your strength up, Colonel. I'll be right back."

~

Janet ducked next door to update Daniel on what she was doing. "I want to do the same thing during the next phase—document everything with you completely absent, and then when he's exposed to your scent. I did see definite activity in the limbic brain when he had your tee shirt, but I don't know how it's affecting the process."

"Okay, that makes sense. Just wait and see for now?" 

"Afraid so. I'm hoping to get some clues from analysis of his bloodwork. Anything I can get, but I'm focusing on dopamine levels, serotonin, and any known neuropeptides. They may give some clue for treatment, though I'll have some basic standard treatments on standby as well. I've also got somebody on the tea, to see if we can figure out anything from that end." 

"Okay." He watched her turn to head towards the lab. "Janet." 

"Yes?" 

"Just... tell him I'm right here. I'm not leaving." 

She smiled. "Okay. I will." 

Daniel returned to his laptop, but it didn't look like he was getting much done.

~

By the time Janet got back from dropping off the blood samples, the colonel was already feeling a little achy. He had said that he had thought the first, "itch" phase had lasted about twenty minutes, but when people are sick, their time perception can be off. In this case she was surprised to find that he was pretty well on the nose. His report of the second phase had been that he hadn't been in it for more than thirty minutes either time, but that he had deteriorated rapidly.

Within five minutes he was visibly pale and sweating, and the stresses on his body were showing in his vital statistics. Janet ran another brain map, and took another blood sample. What worried her most was that the colonel wasn't doing either his usual moaning or joking. He just seemed to curl up quietly on himself. 

She brought him Daniel's tee shirt and he held it close to his face to breathe it in. His heart rhythm steadied almost immediately, and Janet rushed back to map the changes in his brain. After a few minutes, her conclusion was that Daniel's scent wasn't improving his condition, but it was keeping it from declining. She took another sample of blood, and this time paged an assistant to carry the samples to the lab. 

"All right, Colonel. This seems to help keep your vitals stable, so why don't you hang on to the tee shirt while we wait for the results. We're done with the brain mapping, so I'd like to move you back to that private room." 

"Okay." 

Janet paged some more help to move the colonel to the private room and hook him up to the monitors there while she updated Daniel. 

"Can I go see him?" 

"Yes, in fact I think it might help. I need to go over his bloodwork and the information we've gathered so far. Having you there might buy him more time."

~

Daniel raced down the hall, then skidded to a more sedate walk so as not to barrel into the sickroom.

"Hey." 

"Hey." 

Jack was nearly as bad off as Daniel had seen him on Neocosmos. He didn't say anything, but he seemed happy Daniel had come. 

"Janet's working out which treatment options might be viable." 

Jack nodded. 

"She thinks, based on your response to my tee shirt, that it might be helpful for me to be here—buy more time." 

"Yeah, saved by dirty laundry." 

"Hope it's not too ripe." 

"Naw, I'm a guy. Stinky's our natural habitat, right?" 

"Right." 

Conversation trailed off. 

"So." 

"So?" 

"So, does it help? I mean, does it feel like it helps, if I'm here?" 

"You wanna leave?" 

"No! God, no. I don't. I'm..." 

"Yeah, I know." 

"No, I just want to know if... it helps. I... I want to help," Daniel stuttered out. Why did he always get so tongue-tied around Jack? 

"It kinda helps. I mean, I guess the monitors say it does. But..." 

"But what?" 

"It's just... difficult, too." Daniel worried—difficult? "Itch," Jack clarified. 

"Oh. Oh! Would it, would it be better if I stood farther away?" 

"Actually, yeah, it would, a little." 

Daniel leaned against a wall out of Jack's reach and studied his friend. He was looking weak, and waves of pain that rolled through him clearly showed in his face. 

"Jack... if what Doctor Fraiser tries... if it doesn't work... I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be right here." 

Jack was slow to get what Daniel was saying, but then he got angry, though too weak to be as loud as usual. "Dammit, Daniel! This is bullshit! They think I should be your concubine, and instead it's like you're _my_ sex slave, hanging around and 'servicing' me when I get sick. You are not my sex slave—and I am not going to use you like this." 

"Jack, I'm not your slave; I'm your friend—" 

At that moment Janet hurried in with a variety of vials and needles on a tray. "I have bad news and good news for you. The bad news is that we didn't get any specific information from the tea or from the tests that we could use to pinpoint a treatment. The good news is that your bloodwork showed some basic signs of chemical addiction for which there are general treatments, and we can try those." She looked at the monitors and noticed that his condition had slowly deteriorated, despite Daniel's presence. "I'd like to get started right away. Daniel, I'm sorry, but I need you to leave." 

Daniel was stricken at the idea, and Janet gave him a sympathetic look. 

He leaned down over the bed and cradled one side of Jack's head in his hand and whispered fiercely in the other ear, "I am not letting you die." He straightened and told Janet, "I will be right outside." 

She nodded, and started preparing syringes as the door closed behind him. 

The wait stretched to an eternity. Every ten minutes or so, Janet or a nurse would pop out with news, which was generally no news at all. So far they had occasionally held Jack's condition steady for a while before he slipped again. Nothing was reversing the symptoms, though, and Daniel was wrenched by the sound of the quiet moans from the room for the few seconds when the door swung open. 

After forty minutes, the nurse reported that Jack was unconscious. Five minutes later, Daniel couldn't take it any more and burst into the room, frantic. "Well?" he demanded of Janet. 

"He's slipping," she admitted. "Nothing we have tried is bringing him around. We're afraid he's going to go into a coma." 

"Out," he ordered the nurse. 

She looked startled, but Janet nodded at her to go. 

"Janet, I can get him back. I have to or he's going to die." 

"You're okay with this?" Stupid question, she knew immediately. 

"Save Jack's life? Yes, I'm okay with this! But for what I have to do, 'best friend in a coma' is a real mood killer. I need the room. Now." 

She nodded and swiftly removed the monitors and IVs. "I'll make sure you're not disturbed. " 

"That would be an excellent idea." 

As soon as they were alone, Daniel bent over Jack and whispered in his ear, "Hey. Jack. C'mon. I'm here. I'm not leaving you, and I'm not letting you die. But can you come back a little? Because necrophilia is really not my thing." 

Daniel checked out the bed. It was much narrower than the bed they'd shared before. It was definitely meant for one. He pulled off his boots and climbed up, carefully laying himself over Jack's body, but supporting himself on his elbows to keep most of his weight off. He nudged Jack's legs apart with his knees to make room for his own. 

He leaned close so that his mouth was by Jack's ear and Jack's nose would be near his neck. Sound and scent. 

"Come on, Jack, wake up. Your sophauthentes is here." Jack murmured a little and shook his head. "That's it. Come on, Jack, come back to me." 

"Daniel?" He could barely hear the whisper. 

"Yeah, I'm here. I have you." 

"Oh!" 

Daniel had been a little worried that Jack would be angry at him for being his "sex slave" again, but apparently the moment Jack woke up enough to realize Daniel was draped over him, the itch the tea gave him took over; he wrapped his arms around Daniel, buried his nose in the bend between Daniel's shoulder and neck, and pushed his hips up towards Daniel's. 

"Whoa! Okay, that's good. Good to have you back." Daniel had been worrying about performance anxiety, but now that Jack was awake, moaning, and undulating against him, it didn't seem like it was going to be a problem. 

"Hang on a second." Daniel tilted his weight to one side and used his other hand to unfasten their pants. Jack caught on, and did the best he could to hitch up his shirt and push his pants downwards while Daniel took care of his own. When Daniel rolled back over him the touch of skin on skin of their groins made both of them gasp a little. 

Daniel hitched up on his knees just a little to lightly run his cock up and down the length of Jack's, making both of them swell to fully hard. The he let the weight of his hips fall heavier against Jack's and thrust in earnest. Jack moved underneath him in perfect counterpoint, and they both focused on the sensation of impossibly soft skin over bruisingly hard erections. 

Daniel picked up the pace as he raced towards orgasm, and it was clear that Jack was right there with him. For a guy in the verge of a coma minutes before, he was pushing and bucking like a bull. Daniel bit back his yell as he came, and got his hand over Jack's mouth barely in time to feel the vibration of Jack's cry. Slumped a bit afterwards, Daniel caught the glare and removed his hand. "Sorry, but you are a bit of a screamer, and we are on base." 

Jack rolled his eyes in his "long-suffering" look and flopped back. Daniel carefully managed to climb down from the bed without crushing any of Jack's limbs, and grabbed some tissues so that they could clean themselves off and tuck themselves away. 

"Ready for the doc?" he asked. 

Jack sat up on the bed. "Sure, send her on in." 

Daniel opened the door and motioned for Janet to enter. She looked surprised to find Jack sitting up and apparently healthy. She quickly checked his pulse, respiration and blood pressure. "Everything looks normal," she said, astonished. She took a blood sample. "How are you feeling?" 

"Perfect. A hundred percent. Compleeetely better." She frowned at him suspiciously. "Well, maybe I'd feel even better with some pie." He waggled his eyebrows at her while Daniel hid a smirk. 

"Colonel, you were seriously ill. You were unconscious for over ten minutes and nearly went into a coma. I want to run some more tests." 

Jack gave a melodramatic sigh and stood. Before Janet could react, he dropped to the floor and fired off ten rapid pushups, then jumped up again. "I'm telling you. Fine." 

Janet was amazed. Daniel just shrugged. "This is the way he was on Neocosmos, too." 

"I really need to see what the bloodwork says so I can get a better idea of what's going on here. In the meantime, how about instead of pie, you both go and eat a real dinner." 

Daniel thought about it. "I have a bit of an appetite." He only realized afterward how that might sound—how he'd worked it up. Fortunately for their ability to maintain some equilibrium about the situation, nobody brought it up.

As they walked towards the commissary, Jack clenched his fists upwards in a gesture of supplication. "So help me, I had better pee out that damned tea." 

"It sounded bad, when you were sick back there." 

For a moment Jack's eyes betrayed a haunted look. "Yeah. You know how much I hate being sick anyway..." 

"Jack, anyone within a twenty-mile radius knows how much you hate being sick." 

"This is different. It's... it's like it's just as miserable, but it's also... like I felt empty. I don't know how to explain it." He shuddered. 

"Hey, it's over." 

"God, I hope so." He stopped and opened his mouth to tell Daniel... nothing came out. 

"I know." Daniel had heard the "thank you" anyway. 

Jack nodded, and they kept going to the commissary.

~

After dinner, they checked back in with Janet. "Well, the bloodwork I took after your recovery shows that whatever it is about Daniel's semen that works to counteract the withdrawal, it acts like a receptor site blocker, not a narcotic." At Jack's face of cluelessness, she clarified, "Sex with Daniel isn't acting like a drug that gets you high, it just reverses the withdrawal symptoms."

"Well, good to know I'm not in danger of flunking a drug test, I guess." 

"And there's not much more I can do at the moment. I'd like to send your blood samples off to a neuropeptides expert at the NIH and see what they can come up with." 

"Can you hold off on that until tomorrow? This is supposed to go away on its own, and I want to see if it does." 

"Sure. But I am concerned about the fact that you had an episode several hours off what was expected. We don't know what regulates the episodes on Neocosmos, or what other factors could have influenced you here—light spectrum, something in the air, even wormhole travel. You could have another episode at any time." 

"Doc, I'm telling you, this thing is going to pass." 

"I sincerely hope so, Colonel. But until we know for sure..." She looked at Daniel apologetically. "I recommend that you and Doctor Jackson stay in close proximity. Adjoining VIP suites?" 

"Janet, um... considering the way this little problem is being managed, is it really the best idea for us to be on base?" 

She paused to mull it over. "Well I was hoping to have the colonel nearby in case of another episode, but frankly, I can't do much for him. And you're right. Since the timing of the episodes is so unpredictable I don't think he should be at work, and you'll need to be with him. I'll tell General Hammond you both need to work from home until this is resolved, and you can work it out between you whose home that is. But I'll want daily check-ins on your condition." 

"No sick leave?" complained Jack.

"You are 'perfect—a hundred percent' ninety-five percent of the time," Janet reminded him. "Think of it as a great opportunity to get through your paperwork without all the pesky distractions."

"Fine, I'll work at home. Slumber party at my house." 

Daniel rolled his eyes, but he didn't really mind staying at Jack's. "As long as we can swing by my place on the way, fine with me." 

"Before you go, I need to cover something else with each of you." Janet pulled Daniel over to a corner and opened his file. "I need to make sure I have your sexual history up to date." 

Daniel blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, other than what just happened on Neocosmos, when was the last time I was drugged, hypnotized or seduced by a crazy person? You have it all there." He gave a little laugh. "In fact, Jack is the sanest person I've been with since Sha're—and isn't that a scary thought?" 

Janet smiled but didn't comment. Aloud, anyway. "Well, since the whole point of this is shared bodily fluids, the usual safe sex standards don't apply. Fortunately both of you have regular bloodwork and you're both clean. Stick around another minute." She crossed the room to Jack and managed to make him blush to the roots as well. 

"One last thing." Janet dug around in the medical supply closet. "Let's please try to avoid friction burns." She handed them each a couple of large tubes of KY jelly. 

Jack recovered the power of speech first. "Okay. I gotta go unpack from the mission and get together stuff to bring home. I'll swing by your office in an hour and we'll go?" 

"Yeah, sounds good." Daniel found a pocket large enough to hide his lubricant and headed for his office.

~

After Daniel left, Jack turned to Janet, quietly serious. "Thanks for trying, Doc."

"I'm sorry I didn't have anything that helped." 

"I know. You did your best." 

"You did too. I can't believe what you went through, knowing that the cure was standing right outside the door. If I hadn't seen that recovery with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it, but you knew." 

Jack winced. "But how can I use Daniel like that? You have no idea—when it's happening I'm all over him like a drunken prom date. How can I keep him at my beck and call like he's...?" She raised an eyebrow at him. 

Jack shuffled a little in embarrassment, then promised, "Look, if we're stuck together for longer, we'll switch off houses. But he likes my house. And there's not as many breakables in it."

Janet smiled and got back to the issue at hand. "I saw Daniel when you were sliding towards a coma. He was frantic. He didn't think you were using him. He thought he was saving your life, and he was. I've seen you when he's been in the infirmary—you would do anything for him. Well, he would do anything for you. Let him." 

Jack shook his head, uncomfortable with the sacrifice Daniel was making, but he didn't argue. "Knock wood," he rapped on his head, "this will all be a moot point by tomorrow." 

"I'll second that. Check in with me at oh nine hundred, give me a status report." He saluted her and headed to his office. 

In his gear from the trip, Jack found the tube of paper Bacchylides had given him. The contents, he discovered, were four exquisite sketches that stunned him into silence. He spent a long time lost in thought, wishing that life were as ideal as the artist's depiction.

~


	3. Chapter 3

Jack and Daniel rode together in Jack's pickup down the mountain.

"Your books alone mean we need the truck."

There was a stop at Daniel's place to pick up a bag of clean clothes and two more bags of books.

"Well, if I'm going to be working from your place, I need my reference materials."

The next stop was the grocery store, where Daniel wandered distractedly, grabbing whatever caught his attention, while Jack methodically moved from one end to the other, heading directly for exactly the items he wanted. Jack kept reining Daniel in.

"No, I already have pasta. We don't need any more." Jack took the spaghetti from him and returned it to the shelf.

The next aisle: "Ah! I already have plenty of those rainforest whatever coffee beans you like in the freezer."

"Oh, forgot the chickpeas!" Jack pulled some out of the bottom of the basket, already taken care of.

Daniel was mystified. "How... how do you do that? You haven't been home for a week and you don't even have a list."

Jack snorted. "I spent most of my time on Neocosmos standing around 'protecting' you in big, bad, dangerous libraries. I had more than enough time to mentally assess my kitchen, create a grocery list," he tapped his head, "and organize it according to the store aisles."

Oh, right. "Strategic thinking," Daniel realized.

"That's what I do."

"Huh." It made sense now that he thought about it, but it was funny how Daniel could know Jack for years, then have the pieces come together in a whole new way just by going to the grocery store with him.

When they arrived at the house, Daniel carried his books into the spare bedroom and the groceries into the kitchen while Jack went to the bathroom.

When Jack came out, Daniel gave him a questioning look. Jack's glum look said enough, but he added a quiet "Nope."

Daniel grabbed his duffel bag from the foyer, lightly bounced the weight of it in his hand a couple of times, then headed to Jack's bedroom. Since Jack had not excreted the tea, he was vulnerable to another episode at any time, and it was safer for Daniel to be close at hand.

Together they rearranged the guest room into an office for Daniel to use while he was there, moving some shelves in for him to use for his books. Then Jack headed off to check on his recorded _Simpsons_ episodes. Daniel stayed to set up his laptop and start outlining his mission report, which he hadn't gotten any work done on that afternoon.

Later that night, Jack swung by the office and announced, "I'm hitting the shower and going to bed. You know where the clean towels are. Don't stay up too late."

Daniel blinked at him. "Oh, okay," and turned back to the screen.

Once he heard the water turn off in the bathroom, Daniel checked his watch and decided he was at a good breaking point with his work. He pulled his bathroom kit out of his bag and took his turn in the shower.

Facing himself in the mirror afterwards, in pajama pants and tee shirt, he admitted to himself how awkward this felt. Not that he hadn't stayed at Jack's before, or that he and Jack hadn't slept together in tents or beds many times while on missions, but this was very, very different. Most notably that the "sleeping together" was going to include the kind of "sleeping together" that wasn't about sleep. Which was pretty much the last way in the world he would have ever expected to "sleep together" with Jack.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Jack was doing his damnedest to be matter of fact about it and Daniel would too. What kind of friend would he be to do what it took to keep Jack alive but to make him feel more uncomfortable than he already was about it? He turned out the bathroom light and entered the bedroom.

Jack had left the bedside light burning, but appeared to be asleep, so Daniel turned off the lamp and quietly slipped under the covers.

~

The next morning the smell of coffee got Daniel out of bed and into the kitchen. "Mmrwh." _Morning._

"Good morning to you, too." Jack looked up briefly from the Sports section. "I was thinking pancakes and sausage in a bit."

"Hrmmmpf." _Sounds good._

"Excellent."

Daniel might have twenty-three languages on his resume, but Jack could list "morning Daniel" on his.

While Daniel let the caffeine soak into his system and staggered back to dress properly, Jack made breakfast. Afterwards they settled into work, Daniel holing up in the office in front of the computer and Jack making phone calls to base.

First he gave Doctor Fraiser the disappointing report that as far as he knew the tea was still in him. She was sorry to hear it. Very sorry, as she had to tell Jack she was still focused on the virus cure—things were getting critical with her quarantined patients. She hated to have to perform the triage, but the fact was that, uncomfortable as it was for Jack and Daniel, their situation was containable for the moment. She did promise to send off the bloodwork and brain scans to the specialist at the NIH. Jack thanked her for that and promised to check in the next morning.

Next he checked in with General Hammond on the events of the last two weeks while he was offworld. Then he bit the bullet and called Carter to cancel their lunch plans, citing doctor's orders for a while. He tried to make it up to her, though, by giving her a thorough rundown of what they had accomplished diplomatically with the Neocosmans, and asked her to prepare recommendations from her perspective both for cultural and scientific sharing and for facility requirements on Neocosmos.

Jack checked in with Teal'c as well, giving him a more abbreviated report of their mission outcomes, and pumping him for SGC gossip.

Base catch-up exhausted, he warily eyed his briefcase. There was, of course, the mission report to get to, plus a small mountain of paperwork. On the phone, General Hammond had cheerfully—and somewhat sadistically, Jack thought—pointed out that this working at home gig would be a great time to put a dent in that. Ugh. Maybe what he needed to do was check to make sure the irrigation system had kept the garden alive while he was gone, and do some weeding...

~

Around noon, Daniel wasn't surprised to hear Jack calling "Daniel" from the office doorway. He was always after him to eat properly, meaning on some sort of schedule. When Daniel glanced up, though, and saw Jack swaying slightly, face white, he realized it wasn't lunch he was there about.

"Is it...?"

"Itch," Jack shrugged, looking everywhere but at Daniel.

"Okay." Daniel schooled himself to be very calm, very practical. "Come on." He walked over by the door and leaned against the wall, then pulled Jack around to stand facing him, pulled his hand to rub it against his crotch. As he felt himself harden, he unzipped and pushed down his jeans, tugging up his tee shirt slightly, then tugged on Jack lightly, causing him to fall forward, left hand braced against the wall. Jack's chin came to rest over Daniel's shoulder, and Daniel turned his head slightly to lightly say near his ear, "Sniff."

Jack took in a deep breath while Daniel undid Jack's pants and grasped his already hard cock. Jack shivered with a barely audible "Oh," and grabbed onto Daniel as well.

As they rocked together, Daniel moved their hands until their erections touched and they were both holding both, stroking together. As they started to slick a little with pre-come, his left arm went around Jack's lower back to press his hips closer, and their thrusts gained in intensity. Both were panting heavily as they made the climb towards orgasm, jerking and letting out small, uncontrollable cries. Daniel's arm tightened suddenly against Jack, and he pressed his open mouth to Jack's shoulder as he spasmed and spilled over both their hands. Jack groaned in response, coming just after him.

Daniel closed his eyes a moment as he caught his breath, feeling the solid wall at his back and the weight of Jack pressed against his front. Then, keeping his arm around Jack to hold his balance until he recovered, Daniel reached over for some tissues so they could wipe off the mess.

Somewhat tidied, Jack stood back as they each refastened their jeans. "Okay?" Daniel asked.

"Uh, yeah, peachy now."

"We should, ah... We should probably keep some lube stashed around in different rooms."

"Oh. Yeah... right." Jack looked desperate for a change of subject. Daniel saw him catch sight of the clock. "So... lunch break?"

Daniel shrugged, "Might as well. I, um, lost my train of thought." He didn't quite hide his smile.

Jack snorted but didn't deign to reply. Okay, humor was good...

They fell into familiar patterns in the kitchen, Daniel getting plates and drinks while Jack made sandwiches. When they sat down to eat, though, Daniel took the opportunity to talk.

"Jack, just now, when.... were you feeling the 'itch' before you came to find me? I mean, you looked like you'd gotten to the getting sick phase."

Jack squirmed a little. "Yeah, I felt it for a while. Tried to ignore it."

"Why?"

"Well... shit, Daniel. This is so..." He waved his hand helplessly. "You didn't exactly sign up for this, you know. I mean it wasn't, 'How'd you like a nice contract with the Air Force. Study alien cultures, learn new languages, and oh, by the way, fuck guys.' "

Daniel snorted. "Not what I expected from the Air Force, for sure, but it's not like I haven't."

"What?" Jack was frozen in surprise.

"You know how we liberal university types are," Daniel said, lightly sarcastic. He shrugged, "I had an... experimental youth."

"You've... you've slept with men before?" Jack was clearly having a hard time absorbing it.

"Um, yeah. Is that so hard to believe?" If Jack said one word about thinking Daniel had been some kind of geek-virgin... But he didn't. Daniel cocked his head. "I've, um... actually I've been more worried about how this is for you."

"Well, uh... that's, uh... it's not exactly new to me..."

It was Daniel's turn to be shocked. " _You_... you've, um... men?"

Jack shrugged a little embarrassed. "It was the seventies. Sex and drugs and rock and roll, adventurous girlfriend... Hey, everybody was doing it," he added a little defensively. "Mick Jagger was bi, for cryin' out loud. It's just... obviously not something I go around talking about."

"Huh." Daniel scrunched his eyebrows together as he tried to accommodate this new image of Colonel Jack O'Neill, swinger. Well, obviously not a colonel then, and never would have become one if anyone had found out. "Huh," he said again.

"Hey, wait a second." Jack suddenly thought of something. "You were 16 when you went to college. No one... I mean you weren't..."

"What? Oh, no. No one took advantage of me or anything. I was..." his tone turned lightly self-mocking, "intellectually precocious. It took a while for me to catch up socially. It wasn't until graduate school that I felt more able to relate to people... in every sense. Then I sort of made up for lost time. In a big way."

"Huh."

Secretly Daniel was amused to see Jack's protective instinct for his teenaged self. Not that Jack could have done anything about it at this late date, but that tendency of his was always there.

"So..." Daniel started, but trailed off.

"So. So there's a lot of weird things about... this, but there's no... straight-guy never-done-this-before issue here."

"Right."

"Okay."

"Okay." Daniel toyed with his plate. "So, Jack...."

"Yeah?"

"Don't... Don't go letting yourself get sick. You feel the itch thing coming on, just say, 'Hey.' We'll take care of it, end of story. It's okay. That's why I'm here."

Jack swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. All right."

Daniel cleaned up their lunch dishes, and headed back to work. Jack settled down on the sofa with his paperwork for an extended session that included as much fidgeting and staring out the window as working.

~

Eventually, Daniel carried out a stack of paper still warm from the printer. "Mission report." He dropped it on Jack's pile, and glanced at his watch. "I'll go start dinner."

Jack looked up from the piles of paper spread around him, then over at the report. "Okay, thanks."

They had quickly figured out when Daniel had stayed with Jack in the past that Daniel was the better cook. Actually, Jack made fantastic breakfasts, and he was fine on sandwich duty. But if Daniel wanted anything besides frozen food or take-out for dinner, he had to take over in the kitchen. On his own, he tended to eat at random hours, but at Jack's he usually preferred cooking on Jack's schedule to facing congealed pizza at eleven at night.

After dinner, Jack washed up and headed for ESPN while Daniel went back to work. He wanted to get his notes about the Neocosman dialect down while the language was still fresh. He was going to have to prepare a travelers' phrasebook as well as a more extensive dictionary and a cultural guide for the future teams going to the planet. Obviously clarifying that the soldiers were general guards for the group and not alketairos of individual scientists was going to be high on the list in the cultural guide.

The next thing Daniel knew it was nearly five a.m. and he wasn't going to be able to accomplish much more that night. He shut down the computer, stumbled through changing and brushing his teeth, and fell asleep moments after crawling into bed.

No sooner had he closed his eyes than someone was gently shaking his shoulder and calling his name. He cracked his eyes, barely. No, there was a little bit of pre-dawn gray light in the window, so it was at least an hour later.

"Daniel, I'm sorry."

"Ja—" His voice cracked. "Jack."

"I'm sorry to wake you. It's... It's the..."

"Oh." Daniel was too tired to move, still could barely talk. "S'okay, just..." He rolled onto his back and flailed a hand, gesturing for Jack to... get on. He pushed weakly against his pajamas waistband and gratefully flopped his hand back to the bed when Jack took over properly pulling his pants down.

"Daniel..." Jack was clearly conflicted about molesting his exhausted friend.

"Hmm? No, s'aright. Go 'head." Daniel's yawn turned into a contented hum when he felt a hand lightly run along his cock, which was much more amenable to waking up than he was.

Eyes still closed, he reached over to Jack and pulled at him to get on top of him. Jack resisted while he pulled off his own pajamas and reached for the lube, but once slicked, he rolled onto Daniel while Daniel's legs spread beneath him.

Daniel was floating in a dream-like state of semi-consciousness. His awareness centered on wet hardness pressing and sliding against his own erection, furred belly rubbing against his smooth, sending pleasure signals through his whole body. He murmured incoherent sounds of enjoyment as he lightly rocked with the sensation.

Jack was gone as well, taken over by the need to serve under the influence of the tea. Daniel's response only increased his own as he bucked against his friend.

Daniel's body awoke more as the pressure to come built, and he grabbed Jack's ass, encouraging the pumping rhythm. "Jaaa...." He went from mindlessly asleep to mindlessly orgasmic as he shot between their pressed bodies, in perfect timing with Jack.

Weakly post-orgasmic, Daniel's sleepy brain registered: Heavy warmth blanketing him—that would be Jack. That was okay then. Slippery belly—probably should do something about it but he was too tired. Twin grips on his wrists and his arms being moved—oh, he had had them around Jack. Next thing he realized the weight was no longer on him and a warm, damp texture was moving across his front. Ah, Jack was cleaning him with a washcloth. Daniel wanted to say thanks, but dropped off again before he could. In his sleep he thought he heard a quiet laugh and "Geez, you're such a guy."

~

Jack was fine with being up at dawn, so left Daniel to sleep while he quietly showered, made waffles for breakfast and got to work. With Daniel's mission report done, Jack could work on his own until it was time to call the doc. At nine o'clock he updated Janet on the latest situation—basically no change, and the bizarre timing of the episodes. He had planned to pester her a bit about the situation, but he could hear the fatigue in her voice and quietly wished her luck with SG-9 instead.

Soon afterwards General Hammond called. "Colonel O'Neill. I had the opportunity to talk to Doctor Fraiser yesterday and get a full report on your condition."

Ah. "Yes, sir."

"First, I want to say how sorry I am that you and Doctor Jackson are in this situation. You both did excellent work on Neocosmos and it looks like we'll be building strong diplomatic relations with their world because of it. It's a damned shame your health was compromised during the mission and that Doctor Jackson has been, well, put in the position that he has been."

"We're not wild about it either, General. But then unexpected stuff happens whenever we go through that gate. We kind of expect it. Er, not that we expected this. And I guess if we actually expected stuff, it wouldn't be unexpected... Anyway, General."

"I also wanted to let you know that Doctor Fraiser passed on your and Doctor Jackson's concerns about recording the specifics of, uh, containing your condition. It goes against my grain, but I believe in this situation you have a point. As long as Doctor Fraiser can provide your medical care using the records she's keeping, as far as I'm concerned it's confidential and the reports will read that your problem requires 'proximity.' "

Jack let out a silent sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."

"However." Uh oh. "The functioning of SG-1 as a team is a concern. I'm asking you and Doctor Jackson to be frank with each other about what you're going through, as awkward as that may seem. This whole situation may affect your ability to work together, and you will have to be honest with each other and, when you're back to duty, with Major Carter and Teal'c in acknowledging any impacts this has."

"Actually, sir, Daniel and I had a discussion yesterday about one of the, er, relevant issues."

"Really?" General Hammond's voice reflected surprise. Guess he had a reputation as Jack "talking about feelings is like pulling teeth" O'Neill.

"Well, sir, you know how Daniel is." He wasn't sure whether he meant as his best friend, or the only man more pig-headed than himself. Both aspects were annoyingly effective at getting Jack's secrets out of him.

"Glad to hear it." Hammond paused. "It's not just the team, Jack. I consider you both friends of mine, and I'd hate to see this end up hurting either one of you or your friendship."

"Thank you, sir. Me too."

"We're going to do everything we can to get you back to normal. But you know the situation the medical team is in right now. Doctor Frasier tells me she's got someone at NIH looking at your case, and once she gets SG-9 back, she'll be right on it herself. Unfortunately there's just not a whole lot more we can do right now."

"I understand, General. In the meantime, I'll be reporting in daily to the doc. Oh, and I'll have my mission report on Neocosmos to you this afternoon along with Daniel's."

"Thank you, Colonel. And..."

"Yes, sir?"

"Take care, Jack. Of both of you."

"Yes, sir."

Jack hung up the phone and stared at it balefully for a while. So, long story short, they were out on a limb for a while, but oh, don't let using your best friend and team mate as a sex toy affect either one of you, or we'll break up the team. If Carter and Teal'c don't break you first for molesting Daniel. That's not the way the general meant it, of course—Jack counted Hammond as a friend, too—but it was the truth.

On the bright side, though, none of Kinsey's weasels was going to be getting his jollies reading about SG-1's perverted homosexual antics, finding one more reason the SGC should be flushed. So there was that then.

Jack sighed and got to his feet. He needed to burn off some of his frustration and paperwork would only aggravate it. The front hedge was hanging over the sidewalk these days, and pruning sounded like a really good idea right now.

A good sweat and a few scratches later, Jack was on his second shower of the day, and in a better frame of mind for finishing his report. Absorbed in work, it wasn't until his stomach rumbled that he realized it was lunchtime. He made a fresh pot of coffee and brought a mug to the bedroom to wake Daniel up.

While Daniel showered, Jack put some waffle batter on the iron for Daniel's breakfast while he made lunch for himself.

He was eating already when Daniel showed up, dressed and reasonably awake, searching for a second cup. "Smells great. Thanks Jack."

"Nuked you some bacon, too."

Daniel circled around the kitchen gathering his breakfast, and sat down. "So... last night, did we, uh...?"

"Morning."

"What?"

"It was a little after six this morning."

"Oh. I wasn't sure if I just dreamed it, or..." He flushed a little.

"Well, I guess the good news is you're not having wet dreams about me. Bad news is, this... thing is still going on and the doc doesn't have any resources to work on it right now."

"Oh."

"But the other good news is that Hammond's agreed that this should remain confidential. And also, my hedges are no longer threatening the neighborhood dog walkers."

Daniel looked incredibly confused as he tried to make sense of that last report. God, Jack loved messing with his head like that. He watched with a well-hidden smirk of triumph Daniel headed straight for another cup of coffee.

~

After eating and doing the dishes, Daniel picked up where he left off on "Neocosmos 101" for the next visitors. Jack finished his write-up and e-mailed his and Daniel's mission reports through the scrambler to the General. So now... review requisition statistics or laundry? Laundry, definitely.

Collecting the dirty clothes and getting them into the washing machine didn't delay him long, though, and he realized he had no excuse to put off the inevitable while he waited for the washer to cycle through. After cursing for the thousandth time that, forget bullets, the military was death by a thousand paper cuts, he settled down, and was surprised to find he'd actually accomplished a fair amount by the time the clothes were ready for the dryer. So he made a little bet with himself about how much more he would get done by the time the clothes dried.

When the buzzer went off he smirked at the stack of papers. _Hah! Self, pay up._ He should know better than to offer action on any bet that he was feeling competitive about. Okay... should he start worrying that he was thinking of himself as two third-person entities, one of which was a bookie? Nah. The O'Neill charm was just too much to fit in one person.

~

Daniel found Jack in the hallway, humming tunelessly and carrying a basket of folded clothes. "Oh, hey Daniel. This stack is yours." He pointed in the basket with his chin.

"Wha—? Oh, thanks. Um. I wanted to ask you how you'd describe that orange root vegetable dish they served. For the guide."

Jack turned to answer him and froze.

"Jack?"

Jack opened his mouth to say something but shut it again. Instead he vaguely waved his hand, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"What? Itch?"

"Yeah. It just... all of a sudden. It wasn't there, I don't think. I didn't notice it, anyway, and then you came in, and... boom."

"Huh. Well, let's, I guess..."

"No lube in here. There's some stashed in the kitchen, though."

"The kitchen?" Maximum eyebrow arching.

Jack shrugged. "Well, I didn't know where this thing might strike..."

"Hmpf. You're not comatose yet." He tugged Jack after him. "To the bedroom, like civilized human beings."

"Aw, c'mon, Daniel. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Where is your sense of _hygiene_? It's not like I'm unadventurous, but I do have to cook in there, you know." Daniel was relieved; at long as they could tease each other about this, they were still okay.

He knew Jack was rolling his eyes behind his back. "Fine, fine. The bedroom. You're the master." Daniel made the exasperated eyebrows face, knowing Jack would know he was doing it.

When Daniel got inside the bedroom, he stopped short and started quickly and efficiently stripping down. Jack followed suit while Daniel fished the lube out of the nightstand drawer. Jack started towards the bed when Daniel reached out and caught his wrist. "I said bedroom, not bed." He raised his eyebrow in challenge and put a hint of growl in his voice. No sense of adventure, huh?

"Ah. Well, I live to serve." Jack smiled just enough to show he was fine with playing Daniel's game.

Daniel kicked the bedroom door shut and gently pushed Jack back against it, but the quip had dampened his mood a little. "Unfortunately," he said seriously, "at the moment you serve to live."

"Well, I've had to do worse things to survive... Wait, I didn't mean doing you..." He sighed. "There's just absolutely no way I can make that sound right, is there?"

That made Daniel laugh a little. "It's okay, I know what you meant. Here." He held up the uncapped KY. After he squeezed out a bit for each of them, he tossed it backwards to the bed, then leaned his forehead on Jack's shoulder and ran the dry back of his hand over Jack's belly, hips and thighs.

Once he felt Jack's hips surge forward, he ran the back of his hand up the length of Jack's swelling cock, and used his palm to squeeze wetly all the way back down. Jack used his hand to slick Daniel and quickly bring him to fully hard, then pulled Daniel's hand off of him and used both his hands on Daniel's ass to pull him tight against him. Daniel leaned his weight against Jack and started grinding against him, rough, dirty and fast.

They both gasped noisily with the rhythm. This one was not going to last long. "Oh, god," Daniel cried out, and Jack came with a wordless cry just after.

After just a moment, still breathing heavily, Daniel pushed back and Jack let go of his ass. "I'll just go get..."

"Yeah."

A moment later Daniel was back, tossing him a damp washcloth. They were pulling their clothes back on, starting to recover brain function, when Jack said, "Turnips au gratin."

What?"

"That dish. You think it's going to be like sweet potatoes, but really it's more like turnips au gratin."

"Yeah, right. Okay, thanks."

~

They each headed back to their respective piles of work. Daniel dutifully typed in Jack's description for the popular Neocosman meal, then lost his train of thought for a bit. Instead he was thinking about what had just happened. He supposed it was just a little bit... easier, knowing that Jack had been with men before. So that he didn't have to feel like he was forcing the straight guy to "turn," even if it was to save his life.

That evening Daniel was still absorbed in getting all his information down, so Jack stuck his head in to say he was having Thai delivered. Daniel ignored the plate Jack brought him until Jack sat down in the chair next to him, speared a shrimp on a fork and poked it towards his mouth. "Open wide."

"Jack!" Honestly, the man was a pain in the ass.

"Have to keep your strength up, Daniel. Got to eat."

"Fine, I'll eat. Just don't feed me like an infant." He batted the fork away.

Jack just handed the fork over handle first and sat back with his arms folded, waiting.

Daniel huffed a little, but he did eat. "See?"

Jack watched a few more mouthfuls go down, then nodded and left. The rest of the plateful of food was eaten haphazardly, as Daniel's attention was mostly on his notebooks and organizing his thoughts. But he occasionally remembered to snag another bite.

Around midnight, Jack showed up in the doorway, suffering from another "itch" episode, so Daniel decided to shut down his computer and head to bed with him. They lay on their sides facing each other to jerk each other off, then toweled off, pulled on pajama bottoms and tee shirts, and got back into bed. Jack seemed a little uneasy, but Daniel was too. He was feeling a little odd about having sex with and sleeping with a person he wasn't in a romantic relationship with.

~

Their sleeping arrangements made sense, though, when Jack needed to wake him up at seven. At least it wasn't pre-dawn again, but Daniel noticed Jack seemed pale and drawn. He had obviously put off disturbing him. Daniel sighed, pushed down his pajamas and rolled on top of Jack. "I told you," he whispered in his ear as they rubbed against each other, "don't go making yourself sick. You should have woken me up." Jack didn't have to say it out loud for him to hear the "Dammit, Daniel." He was obviously getting more and more frustrated by the weird demands of the situation.

Once the requisite bodily fluids were achieved, Daniel decided he might as well get up. He stripped off his already half ruined tee shirt and used it to swipe the rest off his belly before heading for a quick shower, while Jack started the coffee and got out bowls of cereal. Even after Jack showered, Daniel thought he seemed quiet and withdrawn. And why not? He was suffering from a potentially fatal condition, was being forced to have sex, and hadn't had a bed to himself in over a week.

"Hey Jack."

"Hmmm?"

"I was thinking of swinging by my place for a few minutes, and maybe picking up a few things at the store. Do you want to come with, or hang out here?"

Jack thought about it for a moment. "I'm not really feeling up to going out. I'll probably just hang out here."

"Okay. Let me know anything you want me to get." Daniel eyed him again. "It's the weekend. Go back to bed if you want."

"Yeah, I might."

That actually worried Daniel a little. "You okay? Are you going to be okay while I'm gone?"

"Geez, Daniel, go." He made little shooing motions. "I'm just a little tired."

"Okay. I'll have my cell phone with me if you think of anything you want me to pick up."

Jack waved him off.

Driving Jack's truck around town, Daniel was enjoying the alone time, too. After puttering around his own place for a while, sorting mail, grabbing some more clothes and books, he headed to a nearby bookstore that had gotten his special order in. Unfortunately, he realized that his downtown neighborhood had become congested with traffic. Okay, this was not a relaxing way to spend an hour out of the house. He banged his head lightly against the steering wheel as he slowly nosed the truck out of the bookstore parking lot and into the line of cars.

He was calculating the best side streets to catch out of downtown when his cell rang. "Jackson."

"Hey."

"Hey, Jack. You need me to get something?"

"Uh, no." Uh oh. Jack didn't sound good. "How, uh, how far away are you?"

Shit. He really didn't sound good. "I'm downtown."

"I'm, uh, I seem to be having... thingie." Jack paused.

"Jack, you sound pretty sick. How bad is it?"

"Well, I was taking a nap, and by the time I woke up, I was already, you know, not good."

Shit. "Shit. Jack, the Veterans Parade is today—downtown's a mess. I'm completely caught in traffic. _Klote!_ " Daniel started to panic, but immediately realized that Jack was the sick one and he needed to keep it together, needed to think.

"Oh. Ah." He could hear Jack swallow hard. "How long do you think it will take you to get back here?"

Daniel looked around at how far he'd moved in the past five minutes and calculated. "It'll take at least half an hour, probably more like forty minutes, best." There was silence from the other end. "Jack?"

"I, uh, I don't think forty minutes... it's pretty bad."

Oh fuck! Daniel wanted to scream. "Jesus, Jack. I shouldn't have gone out. Dammit!"

"Daniel! You didn't know. I didn't know. I mean, we just... it's barely been two hours."

"I know, I know. I never would have left if I had thought..."

"Yeah, I know."

Daniel tried to pull himself together and think. What did they have, what did they need? Janet? There's no way she could get to Jack any faster, and couldn't do much anyway even if she did. Think, what did Jack need? Him.

"Jack, hang on, I'm with you, okay? I want you to listen to me. I'm. With. You." He aimed the truck into a parking garage entrance. "I need you to do something. Go to the laundry hamper and pull out the tee shirt I wore to bed last night, the one you gave me last Christmas. Can you do that?"

Jack made a little pained noise as he started moving, but he answered, "Yeah." Daniel heard the slight creak and rustle through the phone line. "How come you wear this to bed, but I never see you out in it?"

"Jack, it says 'Chicks dig archeologists' on it. I'm not sure I'm up for that much public embarrassment. It would be like you wearing a 'Kiss me, I'm Irish' tee shirt." Daniel smiled as he spiraled up towards the top level of the garage.

"I do wear a 'Kiss me, I'm Irish' tee shirt," Jack responded, weakly but gamely.

"Exactly. It's mortifying." He heard Jack huff through his nose.

"Okay, Jack, get back on the bed, with the tee shirt." Daniel nosed the truck into a deserted corner of the garage, far from the elevator, and grabbed some fast food napkins out of the glove box. He pitched his voice to be low and even. "Listen to my voice. I'm with you. Close your eyes, and smell my scent on the tee shirt. I'm right here." Jack's breathing steadied on the other end.

"Just keep listening. I'm with you. I'm going to touch you; you're going to touch me. Okay? Open your fly and take yourself out for me. I'm doing it right now." He really, really hoped he wasn't going to get busted for indecent exposure.

"Everything you do to me, I'm going to do to you. You understand? Smell my scent. Feel my touch on you—that's my hand on you. Your hand, you're touching me. We don't have lube, so right now you're just running your fingers lightly up and down my cock, sensitizing me, waking me up. Just light brushes. Can you feel me doing that to you?" Jack's breath deepened, and Daniel let the hitches in his own breath through in his voice.

"Jack, you feel so good. Your fingers... you're getting me hard. I'm getting you hard, too, I can feel it, Jack. Oh god, you're lightly circling your finger around the crown of my head. You're rubbing the slit, just a little, with your thumb. Oh!" He gasped. "Grab on to my cock, Jack. Stroke me, nice and firm and slow." Daniel could hear him moan on the other end, and responded in kind. "Up and down, just a nice, steady rhythm... that's, god that's so good. You feel... nnnggh. Oh, Jack, do me a little faster—I want to feel... oh yeah..." Jack's breathing was getting raspier and speeding up on the other end, too.

"Daniel..."

"Oh yeah, Jack, squeeze me a little harder, faster. Fuck, what you're doing to me. You feel so damn good, working my cock like this." Daniel was practically whining into the phone. "Getting wet with precome... jesus, Jack... your hand, sliding... fast... so... good. You're going to... to... Ah... Aaah... god, Jack! Oh." Daniel dropped his head back against the headrest.

"Aw, Danny, jesus!" Jack gasped out just after.

Daniel forced himself to recover, to stay with Jack. "The tee shirt, Jack. That's my come on the front of the tee shirt. Wipe your belly with it. Clean yourself with my tee shirt, that you made me come on."

Jack was breathing heavily, but recovering.

Daniel gave him a few moments, then asked, "How're you doing?"

"Uh, okay. Mostly. I think. I'm not sick, sick. I don't feel like jumping across the room, but I don't think I'll be falling into a coma in the next half hour."

Thank god. "Glad to hear it, because I still have to get through this damn traffic. Need my voice? I can stay on the line while driving back."

"No, don't talk and drive. I'm good for a while. I'll just see you when you get back here."

And he did sound okay. Stronger. "Okay, call me if you need me."

"Yeah, on your new 1-900 line. Now I know how you afford all those rare books."

Daniel snorted. He was better, all right. " _Good bye_ , Jack."

Alone in the truck, as Daniel's fear for Jack receded, it was replaced with anger. _Godverdomme_ Neocosmans, that Jack would have to touch his fucking semen-encrusted old tee shirt to live long enough for Daniel to get home. _Godver-de-godverdomme, kut!_ And, by the way, fuck! And, great, he had overshot the paper napkin and soaked his jeans, which would now be semen-crusted too. Lovely. Shit! He dabbed ineffectively at the worst of it, then gave up. Best to just get home. He pulled the truck out of its spot in the still thankfully empty corner of the garage, and headed back into the crowded streets.

~

Jack was pacing in the bedroom when Daniel got home. He looked... edgy.

"Hey. I have to get out of these..." Daniel pushed off his shoes and started taking down the messed jeans. Jack had stopped, only his hands still waggling in agitation by his sides, as Daniel stripped his pants off.

"Daniel... just, please..." Jack pulled him to the edge of the bed, pushed him to sit, then dropped to his knees on the carpet and pushed Daniel's legs apart. Before Daniel could take in what was happening, Jack had sucked his cock into his mouth.

"Oh, jesus!" Despite the fact that he had just gotten off a half hour ago, for the third time in less than nine hours, Daniel couldn't resist responding to that warm, wet suction. "Ohmygod." Now that Daniel's cock had hardened and lengthened, Jack pulled off to run his tongue down and up the underside of the shaft, flick firmly against the frenulum, and swirl around the head, before he opened wide and swallowed the entire thing again.

Daniel gazed down in shock at the impossible sight in his lap—the bobbing, silvered head of Colonel Jack O'Neill giving him the blow job of his life. He groaned, lost track of time, his world narrowed to the sensations of tongue, lips and suction skillfully driving him right out of his mind. Oh hell, and now the man added humming, and gentle tugs on his ball sac. Daniel would have sworn that he had nothing left to shoot, but then he could have never imagined... "Jack! Fuck!" He barely registered that Jack swallowed every drop before he fell backwards onto the bed, incoherent after the orgasm.

"Sorry. Sorry." Slowly it penetrated Daniel's foggy brain that Jack was sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed. Of all things, apologizing.

"What?" Somehow Daniel had enough presence of mind to not blurt out his first thought, which was that Jack gave a better blow job than a thousand dollar call girl, and had nothing to apologize for. Not that Daniel had ever had a blow job from a thousand dollar call girl, but still.

"Jack." He reached a hand and placed it on Jack's head to settle, comfort him. "S'okay."

"Oh, hey buddy, welcome home. Let me shove you down and molest you." Jack was using sarcasm to cover his guilt. He pulled his knees up to softly bang his forehead against them.

"But, you know, on the other hand... mind-blowing orgasm." Jack peered over the edge of the bed at Daniel doubtfully. "What? I am a guy." Daniel added a small smile, nothing too over the top.

Jack snorted. Scrubbed his face with his hands. "S'not always good." Daniel waited with a skeptical eyebrow raise. "This isn't the first time you've been literally fucked over by your job. Sometimes I feel like this is like..." He could barely say the name. "Hathor."

"Oh, god no! Oh, Jack!" Daniel slid off the edge of the bed to the floor next to Jack, heedless of his half-naked state. "No way." He was horrified. "Jack..." He tried to find the words. "This couldn't be more opposite. You're my best friend—I haven't been this close to someone... well, ever. So... so this is another kind of close—so what? It's nothing, _nothing_ compared to you dying! I couldn't take that. When that..." He shuddered. "When that bitch raped me, it was all about control. Her idea of 'love' and 'life' was slavery and death to humanity. It still makes my skin crawl to think of it. This... thing... that we're going through, yeah, I'm angry at the situation, but only because your life is on the line. I was so goddamn scared I was going to lose you when you called me and I was stuck downtown... But I trust you absolutely. With my life. I think I can certainly trust you with my dick."

Jack raised his head from his knees to peek at Daniel after that last, earnest declaration, when it hit them both at the same time how funny it had come out. Suddenly they were both trying very hard to hold in their snickering. Daniel nudged Jack with his elbow, and Jack nudged back.

After a few moments Daniel asked, "Is it safe for me to put pants on now?"

"Uh, yeah. I need to change myself."

Daniel realized with surprise that Jack had gotten off himself during the blow job without ever being touched, but refrained from commenting.

Jack watched Daniel toss the soiled jeans from the floor to the hamper. "So... when you were on the phone, you really...? I mean, it sounded... but..."

"Uh, yeah. I didn't know whether something about that tea, if it wouldn't work if I didn't really..."

"Jesus, Daniel. You didn't... in the truck, driving?"

"No, no. I pulled into a garage, parked in a deserted corner." He headed off Jack's next question with an exasperated, "Your upholstery's fine. My jeans took the hit."

Jack backed off. "Cool." They got dressed.

"So," Daniel started. "When I got back, um..." He gestured towards the edge of the bed. "New itch?"

Jack sighed. "Yeah." It took him a moment to continue. "Actually, I started feeling it last night but I just kept with what we'd been doing, hoped it would go away." He looked up. "I'm sorry. I think it was my fault that it got so out of control, that the episodes happened so close together, that I was so... intense, when you got home. I get the feeling this thing is telling me that if I don't follow the program it's going to force the issue."

"God... Jack, I'm so sorry. You're the one that's being screwed over by this whole situation."

Jack shrugged off the concern. "I'm not freaking about the sex. Like you said, I trust you. Out of anybody in the world I could be stuck in this with, I'm glad that it's you. I'm just... it feels like this thing keeps escalating on its own agenda that we haven't been able to figure out, and I feel bad it's dragging you along with it. Where is this going to end?"

"Jack... I'm worried for your health, but that's it. If it escalates, it escalates. Well, I mean, if you suddenly get this compulsion for heavy BDSM or erotic asphyxiation, we'll have to talk, but don't worry about me." Daniel watched as Jack nodded in agreement, but noticed he still looked tense. "Hey, have you had a chance to talk to Janet yet today?"

Jack shook his head no. "It... wasn't a good morning."

"Okay, I'll take care of it." Daniel went to his office to make the call, and used his science-speak to report the somewhat scary news about the condition's progress. Janet was concerned, but was so overwhelmed by the deterioration in SG-9's condition that she was unable to do anything more than be grateful for Daniel's promise that he wouldn't be leaving Jack again for a moment. Daniel hung up the phone feeling like they were stuck in limbo, but that everything could head south at any minute. He forced himself to shake off the mood and get to work.

~

 

Great. Jack hadn't peed any tea, but he also hadn't had any "itches" for the past twelve hours. And thank god for that, because it wasn't like either of them was a teenager anymore. It had also let his situation fade from the forefront of his mind. But now, here he was again, skulking around Daniel's door like some kind of a molester. He was just dying—heh, literally—to get his lips around that cock, like the town slut. He hoped he could zip in, suck Daniel off, and get the hell out, because he just didn't want to think about it any more than he had to.

When Daniel caught sight of him, though, he shut down his computer and headed out towards Jack's bedroom. Jack followed him in to find him stripping down and climbing onto the bed. Fine.

But when Jack got onto the bed, Daniel turned himself around and started unfastening Jack's pants.

"Daniel—" Jack knew he was being snappish as he batted away Daniel's hands. "Just let me..."

"No, Jack, I can't—"

" _Would you quit being such a goddamned girl about it?_ Jesus, Daniel, a blow job and sleep—I am the perfect fucking date. Just... be a guy for once." Oh, crap. Oh, crap. He knew what an ass he was when his temper was up, but his mouth had a mind of its own.

" _Jonathan O'Neill_ —"

Oh, and there went Daniel, pushing Jack's buttons when he was running hot, like _always_. He laid on the sarcasm. "Forget it, Daniel, you're not even a tenth as scary as my mom."

"Would you cut it— Goddammit, Jack!" Daniel was sitting naked and cross-legged on the bed, tugging at his hair in frustration. "Fine. Go ahead and be pissy and obnoxious and whatever else, but _I'm not leaving_ you and I'm not letting you die." Jack felt a zinging hit of fear at the base of his spine at that. What kind of self-sabotage was he doing here? He had never been more relieved Daniel refused to back down from a fight with him. "You are the most aggravating son of a bitch on the planet, but you're my best friend anyway—god only knows why. Or, maybe I just don't feel like waking up next to a corpse tomorrow morning. So get your goddamned pants off, so we can suck dick."

Jack's temper was fading, but not the reason behind it. "See, that's just—why? I _need_ to do this, but you don't have to. You already have to put up with me panting after you every few hours. Just let me get it over with."

"I'm trying to tell you, _I don't mind_. I _like_ oral sex. I like _you_. I have _zero_ problem with sucking your dick, seriously, except that I hate it that you're forced into this—that _we're_ forced into this. What I have a problem with is lying back like some sort of lord and master and letting you service me. That's not _me_." Daniel was winding down, too. "And it's not you either. Jesus, Jack. We are _friends_ , equals. Not that getting a blow job is normally a terrible thing, but it is when you can't come without me."

Daniel was in full-on stubborn mode; Jack knew there was no way he was going to be able to talk him around it. If Daniel really didn't mind...

"C'mon Jack. Be a guy about it and just get the blow job."

"Oh, well when you put it that way..." Jack mentally shook his head as he unbuttoned his pants. That almost imperceptible curve of Daniel's mouth meant that he was yukking it up on the inside, which also meant that Jack was forgiven his nasty remarks. Which was fair enough, since Daniel could be a bastard himself sometimes; at least they were well-matched in the temper-and-blow-over category. Sara had been the only woman Jack had ever found who'd understood that Jack's sarcastic remarks or explosions weren't meant to be cruel, they were just letting off steam. Most people were intimidated. Not Daniel "I'm sucking your dick and that's final" Jackson, though.

As if his dick minded. He didn't know if he was hard because of the tea, or knowing that he was going to get his first blow job in, well, way too long. Face-to-hips with Daniel, there was no way he could refuse him now—and, yeah, right, why had he wanted to, again?

The need to lick, suck, swallow was taking over, the drugged compulsion sweeping away any inhibitions. He took Daniel in and it was bliss. Then he felt wet warmth around his own cock. He'd forgotten how much he loved sixty-nining, the feedback loop of pleasure from feeling both the stimulation and the reaction so overwhelming... He lost coherent thought.

~

When Daniel woke up on Sunday, Jack was already gone from the bed. He peered blearily at the clock. No wonder; that was the longest night's sleep he'd gotten in a while. But then the previous day had been pretty traumatic.

He shrugged into a robe and shuffled coffee-wards. Jack was on the phone with Janet. Daniel listened with half an ear. He seemed to be reporting the rest of the day, after the morning's close call, as good news, just the one episode. No mention of his snappishness, but he was certainly due—he'd almost died. Jack had actually been remarkably self-controlled for the most part. Coffee drunk, Daniel headed back for a shower.

He'd just finished shaving when Jack knocked and came in. One look at Jack's face and Daniel's hand was already moving to take off his towel. Jack held up a hand to forestall him.

"What is it?"

Whatever it was, Jack was having a hard time getting the words out. He wouldn't look up from the floor. Finally he said, "So. Have you ever fucked a guy before?"

Daniel tried not to show his surprise. "Uh, new 'thing'?"

Jack nodded. He looked pale and stiff. "Apparently, I really, really want you to do me."

Despite the obvious bulge in his pants, Jack looked so miserable that Daniel was freaking out a little. He tried to speak as calmly as possible, though. "I've topped and bottomed; I know how it feels from both sides, how to make it good. Have you ever bottomed?"

Jack was quiet for a long time before the one-word reply came out. "Iraq."

~


	4. Chapter 4

Oh god. "No! Jack, no. We'll figure something else out. We'll just do whatever we have to until Janet can stop this. This isn't... shit. If I'm supposed to be your master... I don't want to—"

"Daniel, you don't understand. I. Really. Want it."

Except that Daniel could see that despite the message from his body craving sex, Jack was tense with worry. Of course. How could he be mentally _or_ emotionally prepared to relive his violation?

"Can't we figure out some—"

"No. I can feel the..." Jack gestured around his midsection. "If we don't do this, I'll just get more intense 'itches'; I'll just get sicker."

Daniel contemplated for a second the possibility of waiting until Jack passed out, but decided quickly that Jack waking up from unconsciousness to find a dick inside of him would be an even worse trauma.

So instead Daniel put every effort into sounding confident and soothing. "It's okay, Jack. I've done this before, and I know how not to hurt you. You know I would never, never hurt you, right?"

Jack nodded mutely.

"How are you doing, illness-wise?"

Jack shrugged. "Not great."

"You put off coming to find me?"

"Yeah, a little."

Daniel sighed. "I can see why. But I still want to take it slowly. This _will_ be different, all right?"

Jack's nod was more _okay, let's just get it over with_.

"Hey." Daniel moved close to gently pull Jack into a hug, and lightly encouraged Jack's head to bend towards Daniel's neck to sniff while Daniel stroked his hair. "What you experienced before was violence. It wasn't pleasure, it wasn't caring. It wasn't even sex, just an attack. I promise you, this will be _nothing_ like that."

He felt Jack relax slightly against him and Jack's head nod understanding under his hand. "Okay, let's go to bed."

Jack pulled away and headed matter-of-factly back to the bedroom, stripping off. By the time Daniel came in with a clean handtowel, Jack was waiting on the bed on all fours, hard and waiting.

It was a magnificent view, except that Daniel could still see the emotional tension warring with the artificial libido. There was no way Daniel would get hard enough to carry this out as long as he felt like Jack was remembering his rape. The goddamned Neocosmans and their goddamned antiquated sexual slavery _bullshit_... And, damn it, they didn't have time for this.

Pulling himself together, Daniel considered Jack's position. Hands and knees was good for someone new to anal sex, but having an anonymous dick entering from his blind spot and a heavy man draped over his back would not likely to be good for Jack's state of mind. Jack on top would be best, so that he could feel completely in control of the proceedings. Unfortunately Jack wasn't in control—the drug effect was. Daniel was afraid the wild abandon Jack got caught up in under the influence would cause him to ride Daniel far more enthusiastically than his body could handle.

His decision was made. He grabbed the lube from the bedside table and knelt up on the bed. Even his soft, long stroke down Jack's body left a shiver in its wake before Jack pushed his ass higher and farther back in forced invitation. Daniel tried to sound gentle, not saddened, when he said quietly, "Lie down on your side, facing me." Jack complied, and waited stoically while Daniel lay down next to him.

Daniel ran his hand again down Jack's side, giving a tiny squeeze on his thigh before lifting it to stroke Jack's arm next. Over and over, he got Jack used to the contact. "It's just me, and I'm not going to hurt you. This is about pleasure. We're going to make each other feel good, the way we've been doing. Just trust me, and relax for me. There's only you and me here, and I'll never do anything to cause you pain. I want you to breathe deeply, into your belly." Jack took a deep breath, and slowly relaxed under his touch and voice.

As Daniel's hand moved to trace down the line of fur on his belly, Jack moaned and pushed his erection up to make contact. Daniel was relieved. Yeah, they knew this. Jack reached for him, and Daniel grew hard from the practiced stroke. "Lift your knee up here, Jack," Daniel ordered, patting his own hip before taking up Jack's cock again. Jack obeyed.

With Jack's legs now spread a little, Daniel furthered his explorations. He softly traced the balls, pulled sideways by gravity towards the mattress, and pressed lightly against the perineum behind. Between the stimulation and the call to service, Jack's response was increasing. Daniel paused to lube his right middle finger, and took up Jack's cock in his left hand.

"I'm going to touch you now, Jack. Just touch, outside." And he did, pushing the slightly parted cleft a little farther open with his thumb and gently running the slicked finger through the prickly hairs to the bare, wrinkled skin of Jack's opening. He slowly circled, with just enough firmness to massage the muscle. Jack's hand on Daniel's erection stuttered and Jack tensed with a choked gasp, but it seemed to be more from pleasure than fear. "I'm just going to do this as long as you like. It feels so good, Jack, so soft and wet." Jack's eyes closed as he unconsciously bent his head towards Daniel, visibly swallowing hard.

"Fuck me, please," he whispered hoarsely, as he pushed against the finger teasing him.

"We'll get there," Daniel promised. He brought his left hand up to stroke Jack's cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Are you ready for me to touch you inside?" Jack nodded, swallowing again.

Daniel added more lube to his finger, and barely pressed the tip into Jack's opening. He paused while Jack assimilated the sensation. When he seemed ready, Daniel rotated the finger as far as his wrist could reach clockwise, then counterclockwise. "You feel so warm, so good," Daniel encouraged. He pressed a little more firmly against the outer ring of muscle as he steadily rotated his finger again and again, tender, slicked skin gliding against his fingertip.

Jack seemed focused on the sensation, but his breathing was relatively steady and calm, so Daniel said, "I want to go deeper. Can you relax and let me in?" Everything tensed for a moment. "In your own time, Jack." Daniel brushed Jack's belly repeatedly. "Take deep breaths and relax on the exhale. Feel all your tension flowing down your body and out." The first breath was a little shuddery, but the next one was smoother. Daniel kept petting. Suddenly his finger was practically sucked in without his help.

"I told you I wanted you to fuck me." Jack sounded sarcastic, but his hands had involuntarily flown out in surprise at the invasion. Daniel grasped Jack's left hand in his and intertwined their fingers. He brought them both up to his face and rubbed the back of Jack's hand against his cheek before reaching over and extending his index finger to stroke Jack's jawline.

"It's just me. I won't do anything painful. It might feel strange, or different, but I won't hurt you. Just stay relaxed, and feel how good it can be." Fully inside the second ring of muscle, Daniel rotated his finger again so that Jack could discover the sensation of having something inside him. When Jack didn't tense, Daniel again pushed lightly against the muscles surrounding his finger as he unhurriedly turned one way, then the other. Jack stayed relaxed as Daniel pressed harder, really stretching the muscle in every direction.

Daniel pulled Jack's knuckles over to nuzzle them with his chin. "You're doing great. And you feel fantastic. So good. Are you ready for me to add another finger?"

Jack rocked experimentally against the finger. "Yeah."

"All right." Daniel slowly withdrew his hand and added more lube to the first two fingers. "I want you to breathe in, and then do a deep exhale." With a steady glide, Daniel made sure his fingers were fully seated by the time Jack was finished. Jack wasn't adding tension to his natural tightness, which Daniel counted as a win for this phase, even though Jack was gripping his other hand more firmly than before.

"I know. It feels even weirder having that much thickness inside you. Just keep relaxing into it like you have been. Pretty soon it's going to feel incredible, I promise." He rotated the fingers, with the same leisurely pace as before, getting Jack used to this new girth.

When Jack didn't clamp down or freeze, Daniel whispered, "Here's the really amazing thing about having someone inside you." He curled his fingers and drew the tips lightly along the smooth walls until he found the hidden bump that made Jack cry out in surprise when he pressed it. Jack pistoned himself on Daniel's fingers in automatic reflex to get pressure _there_ again.

"Ah! Nice and slow. Just let the sensations happen. No need to rush. We'll get there." Daniel alternated brushes against the prostate with plain slides in, to let Jack learn the pleasures of both types of stimulation. Jack hummed and moaned and attempted to hijack the pace, so Daniel figured he was getting the lesson just fine. Daniel started spreading his fingers, gently working against the muscles of the opening in two directions.

"You're doing so good, Jack. Fantastic." He squeezed Jack's hand and freed it, so that he could take up Jack's cock again. The sensations in front and behind had Jack moaning and rocking back and forth into each. "Can you come for me? Can you come like this?"

Jack groaned and shook his head. "No. I, uh, I can't come until you do."

Daniel sighed. "I was afraid of that. It would help get you really relaxed, but you're doing fine this way." He twisted and spread his fingers again. "Spectacularly, really."

"I just..." Jack swallowed. "I just want you inside."

"You'll have me. When I know it's going to be all pleasure and no pain. You're close, really close. I'm going to add another finger now." He drew back to add more lube to all three fingers and in the trough they made as they bunched together. "Do the deep exhale again, and this time push out against me as I'm pushing in."

Jack obeyed, and Daniel's fingers slid two-thirds of the way in before Jack tensed up. He wasn't clamping down tightly, which was a good sign, but Daniel froze anyway. "It's all right, Jack. I'm not moving. I'll just stay right here while you adjust." Daniel felt a flutter of contraction against his fingers. "That's good. Test out the sensations. Squeeze tight..." He waited while Jack did so. "Now relax." The hold loosened. "Now push out... And relax again. Practice those and how they feel." Daniel let Jack experiment with his muscles.

When the tension in Jack's body released again, Daniel warned, "I'm going to twist again, let you see how it feels when you're this full." He let the ridges and valleys formed by his fingers glide slickly over the sensitive skin of Jack's opening and massage the tightness underneath. As Jack loosened, he pressed back against Daniel's hand.

"Are you ready for more?"

Jack pushed more emphatically.

Daniel eased the knuckles in smoothly, aiming his fingertips directly for the prostate. Jack bucked into the touch.

"Just hold there for a bit. I know—you feel full and stretched. Let yourself get used to it. Try the squeezing and pushing thing when you're ready—it will help." Eventually Jack was more relaxed, and Daniel deliberately rotated his hand a few times before very slowly fucking Jack with his fingers, hitting Jack's prostate just often enough to keep him enthusiastic about continuing.

"Oh god, Daniel, please, please..."

"Almost there, Jack." Daniel gave a few more long strokes, pulling all the way out and pressing all the way in to get Jack used to the feeling of being opened up wide. He spread his fingers a bit, feeling that Jack was relaxed enough to allow a bit of give.

This was as good as it was going to get.

Finally Daniel allowed himself to think about the tight, slick heat he had been exploring, and he was as eager as Jack.

He brushed his hand along Jack's cheek again. "Roll onto your other side for me." Jack hesitated a moment. "It will be a more comfortable angle. I'll be right here, holding you. Nobody but me."

Daniel was grateful for the incredible trust it showed for Jack to turn his back on the dick that was about to be thrust into him. He couldn't let him down.

He wiped his hand quickly on the towel and gently pushed Jack's top leg forward, opening him up. He opened the lube again and added another dollop between Jack's legs before generously slicking himself up. There was no such thing as too much lube in this case. Getting himself into position spooned behind Jack, he lay down and sneaked his left hand under Jack and brought it up around to hug Jack around his chest. "Just me. I'm here with you." Jack clasped fingers with him.

With his other hand, Daniel found the spot he was aiming for and guided the head of his cock towards it. "You know how to relax and open up, Jack. It's going to feel so good. You just do what ever you need to do to let me in. Tell me if you want me to stop, or to pull out. Whatever you need."

Jack took a deep breath and let it out. As Daniel slowly pushed forward, Jack pushed back. With the head of Daniel's cock just inside, Jack stopped, and his hand squeezed Daniel's tightly. Suddenly his hips tried to push down hard and Daniel stopped them. "No. Let yourself relax first. You can do it." That damn tea. Daniel knew it would try to push him too hard.

Daniel stroked Jack's chest reassuringly with their joined hands while Jack breathed deeply and tried to let out the tension. "Shh. It's only me, Jack. I won't let you be hurt. You're safe. Nothing's going to happen here except a whole lot of feeling good." He felt Jack flex and release around him, and it was... so much more amazing around the head of his cock than his fingers. He stifled a groan. He could wait for his pleasure, too.

Finally he felt Jack truly relax, and he slowly slid all the way in. This time he didn't stop his moan. "Oh, Jack. Feels so good." He wrapped his other arm around Jack, hugging him, and leaned his forehead against the back of Jack's neck. " _So_ good."

He held still until Jack started moving, and then took control of the pace again, keeping it slow and measured. It had been so long since he had been inside someone that he would have been afraid of losing control if they hadn't been going at it like rabbits for the past several days. Fortunately the edge was off, and enough fear of traumatizing Jack remained to help keep him in check.

As Jack tried to thrust himself down onto Daniel's cock, Daniel held him more tightly and whispered against his neck, "Take it slow, Jack. These are delicate tissues. No slamming. No hard and fast. No soreness. It's all about pleasure. Just let yourself feel." Daniel paused the leisurely slide to scoot himself a bit, then resumed at an angle to reach Jack's prostate. Jack cried out in wordless yearning at that, and Daniel carefully rubbed the head of his cock back and forth over the spot, working towards his own orgasm with the movement.

He ruthlessly quashed his own instinct to speed up—because how could Jack ever trust that penetrative sex could be safe and fun if he were pounded and, god forbid, injured? Instead Daniel let the glow and tingle build with each controlled glide. The desire to rush towards a quick finish was offset by the way going so slowly was drawing out the sensations into one long euphoric experience. He reached for Jack's erection, already strained to the utmost by the pressure on his prostate, and used his hand to match the measured pace he was keeping behind.

It took an unbearably long time for the blissful sensations to culminate in orgasm, and once they did, it seemed to go on forever. Daniel's lips brushed against the prominent vertebra at the top of Jack's spine as he whispered, "Jack." He felt Jack's contractions in counterpoint to his own pulses, while Jack's cock was suddenly slippery and jerking endlessly in his grasp. Eventually they both wound down, until they lay quiet, nestled together.

There was a long pause, probably too long, before Daniel gave Jack's hand a reassuring squeeze and he gently pulled back, his soft cock slipping from Jack's body. He felt around for the handtowel, and reached back over Jack's hip to blindly wipe at the wet on his front before folding the towel to a dry portion and gently wiping the soupy mess of lube and semen from Jack's backside.

Jack hadn't said anything, or really even moved. He certainly wasn't doing his usual post-episode healthy-bouncy routine. Daniel tossed the towel, then asked, "Are you okay?"

"Jesus, are you kidding? Hell yeah." Jack reached behind him to grope for Daniel's hand, pull his arm around him again. He was just a little quieter than usual when he said, "I just... I didn't know it could be..."

Daniel snuggled up tight behind him. "Yeah, it can be." He loosened his hug a little. "You know, you'll probably be more comfortable if you go sit on the toilet, push everything out."

Jack just grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm tighter around him again. "Maybe. Just give me a few here."

"Sure." Daniel leaned against him. There was something incredibly intimate about what had just happened between them—a strange thing to think after days of sex. But this was different, with Jack's vulnerability and the depth of his trust in Daniel. He curled contentedly into Jack, enjoying the closeness. It had been a long time.

Eventually he felt Jack give him a silent signal with a hand squeeze, and he let go so that Jack could roll off the bed and walk carefully to the bathroom. Daniel allowed himself another few minutes of indulgence, then got up himself and pulled on sweats, fighting the lethargy that followed a long morning of sex in bed.

He heard the shower go on as he made his way to the kitchen for the morning's second round of coffee. He wasn't sure whether he should go bury himself in work to give Jack space, or just be _around_ for Jack—let him know that as far as he was concerned they were still they same friends who used to hang out on Sundays. He'd have to play it by ear.

The shower went off again before Daniel had finished filling the coffee maker—a quick rinse then. Soon afterwards Jack came moseying into the kitchen and headed for the cupboard with the mugs. He then joined Daniel in his coffee vigil, and gave him one of his usual shoulder pat-clasps. Muscles Daniel hadn't even realized were tense relaxed; good—Jack wasn't so weirded out that he was going to avoid him, then. He felt safe enough to ask, "So, everything okay..." He trailed off into a vague hand gesture rather than continue, how? "With your ass?" " _Down there?_ " "With your rectal tissues?" It wasn't until he'd gotten started that he'd realized there really wasn't a good way to put it.

Jack just shrugged, showing only the slightest amount of embarrassment when he answered, "Fine. I can, uh, definitely feel it, but it's not painful or anything."

"Good." Daniel nodded.

Jack absently stirred the spoon in the sugar bowl. "Rockies are away at San Francisco today. Game's on at two."

"Sounds good. Is there anything you want to get done before then?"

"Maybe a quick grocery run, get some snacks for the game."

"Sounds like a plan."

Back to a normal Sunday routine, then. Though he made a mental note to pick up some better lube than KY jelly, while they were out.

~

After lunch, Daniel caught up with Sam on the phone. Apparently the mood on base was pretty grim, with no one knowing whether SG-9 was going to pull through or not. Since SG-1 was on stand-down and Janet was working double shifts inside quarantine, Sam was spending most of her time with Cassie, with some Uncle Teal'c assistance. Considering her mother and everyone else on her homeworld had been killed by a virus, Cassie was finding the current crisis scarier than the staff blasts that usually threatened her adopted family. Sam had had to reassure her that Janet was being very, very careful, and that the scary virus wasn't what Uncle Jack and Daniel had.

They'd moved on to some of Sam's ideas for an SGC presence on Neocosmos when Jack stepped down into the living room. "Daniel, could I..." He mimed pulling him away from the conversation.

Daniel took one look at Jack and hurriedly interrupted. "Gotta go." He paused to add more normally, "The colonel calls."

Sam laughed. "Is that like 'his master's voice'?"

The double meaning gave Daniel a chill. He gave himself a mental shake and forced himself to laugh, "Not exactly." She was only making a joke about the attentive RCA dog; she had no way of knowing that it was Daniel who was the alleged master.

He signed off, barely paying attention to what he was saying, his eyes focused on Jack. As soon as he disconnected, he was up and across the room. "Not again; not already."

He saw Jack's throat work as he swallowed before answering, "Yeah."

"No. No, dammit! We just... it's barely been four hours! It's too soon!"

"Well there was yesterday, when it was two hours—"

"No! No, I mean, I know this thing can come on in four hours. What I mean is that it's too soon for you. It was just your first time—" He caught Jack's sardonic "well..." look, and nodded a brief, grudging acknowledgment that it had actually been his second time. "I'm just saying, you shouldn't..." He trailed off thoughtfully, then pointed in triumph. "You fuck me!"

"Daniel, no!" Jack barked.

"Why not?"

"It's... I can't ask you to... This itch, it's for getting fucked—I know what it wants."

Daniel looked down at the physical evidence, and looked up with a seductive smile. "But this would work, wouldn't it? When I said you should fuck me, you felt it." He rubbed his thumb lightly over the erection visibly bulging in Jack's jeans. "It _will_ work. I _like_ anal sex. I promise, I will come and you will get your bodily fluids." And yes, he was being deliberately tempting, trying to bypass Jack's protective, chivalrous, completely unnecessary gesture because making sure that Jack wasn't injured by these compulsions was important. Besides, Daniel was also telling the absolute truth. It had been a long time since he'd bottomed, and he honestly missed it.

Jack had his head leaned back and his eyes closed. "Daniel..." He said it with a tone of protest, but he didn't have an argument to follow up with.

"Come on." Daniel tugged his hand to lead him down the hall.

He stripped down, and was about to ask whether Jack wanted him to prepare himself, when he felt Jack's hands sliding over his ass. That answered that question. Daniel felt himself being gently nudged onto the bed, and encouraged to lie down on his front. He pulled his cock up to lie between his belly and the mattress, and settled himself comfortably, legs spread. He smiled into the crossed arms he was pillowed in when he heard Jack's intake of breath.

Soon he felt Jack's strong, firm hands stroking up the backs of his legs to the crease of his butt cheeks. A pair of thumbs spread him open, exposing him, and suddenly Daniel was surprised by a warm, wet tongue slicking his crack. He heard a small, needy whimper from Jack, and then his ass was being devoured in earnest. And holy hell, he'd never... Oh, god, it was blissful, _amazing_. He pushed back uncontrollably against the tongue pressing into him. More, more... If he'd been worried about Jack not being able to keep control under the influence of the tea, he was no better, and without the excuse of any chemicals stronger than endorphins. And at that moment, his brain decided rational thought was highly overrated.

Daniel moaned, quietly but continuously, which only spurred Jack on. Daniel felt a finger join the tongue inside him, stretching him and searching for... _there!_ Daniel gave an involuntary buck and bit down on his forearm. The finger was still sliding inside him when he felt the heat of Jack's breath pull away and the mattress dipping to the side. He was wiggling his butt to remind the finger of what was important when he felt Jack's weight resettle between his legs and he heard the pop of the lube cap. Ah.

Jack's lips laid a trail of kisses down his spine that were intoxicatingly erotic. He felt two fingers stretching him and coating him inside with slick. Then three. Apparently remembering how to relax and take it was like riding a bike, as Daniel felt himself open for Jack. He fucked himself back onto Jack's fingers. "Please, Jack. Please, please, please," he chanted.

Jack pulled his fingers out and nudged Daniel's hip with his nose. "Roll over," he whispered. Daniel flipped onto his back, and saw Jack slicking his erection with lube. _God, yes, yes, yes, now,_ he pleaded silently. Jack knelt between his legs and leaned over him; Daniel wrapped his legs around Jack's back. Jack took himself in hand and guided himself slowly... in.

Daniel closed his eyes and concentrated on relaxing against the pressure. Jack was sliding, and sliding, and— _oh!_ —he was _in_. Daniel's eyes flew open, and he saw Jack watching him carefully to see that he was okay. Daniel gave a dazed smile to reassure him. Jack pushed Daniel's legs higher and caught them there with the crooks of his elbows. Then he slowly pulled back and slid in again, and it was _exquisite_. Daniel's eyes closed involuntarily, and he bit his lip against the sobbing sound that tried to escape his throat.

As the satiny glide in and out continued, Daniel opened his eyes again and was caught in Jack's gaze. He couldn't tear his eyes away—the intensity went right through him, pinning him. He'd never noticed they'd always kept their eyes averted or closed before, but now... Daniel had a moment of realization that _this changes everything_ , and then Jack's stroke hit his prostate and sent him back to preverbal bliss.

Jack moved into Daniel with a fluid grace that kept him floating in euphoria. He instinctively reached up and took Jack's face between his hands, pulled him down to meet his lips. Jack opened to meet him... And Daniel's world changed again. Energy arced from their mouths, down his spine, to where they were joined, in an unending loop. He was suddenly connected to the universe, touching infinity. Daniel kissed Jack hungrily—greedily—trying to get ever closer. He lost all track of time. Eventually he realized their pace and their pleasure were building, climbing towards the inevitable, and he rocked back against Jack in perfect rhythm, reaching with him for their goal.

Their mouths separated as they needed to pant and cry out, but they opened their eyes to hold their connection. "God. Jack. Please. Oh!" Daniel felt tiny prayers being wrung from him.

"Daniel!" The one word breathed against his lips held a world of meaning and emotion.

Daniel spilled his orgasm between them. "Love you. Love you. Love you," he gasped. And then Jack was pulsing into him.

They lay in the aftermath, entwined, unable or unwilling to move—Daniel wasn't sure which. Jack let Daniel's legs loose from his elbows, and Daniel clasped them around Jack's hips instead, to hold him inside him. Jack's head had fallen forward onto Daniel's shoulder, so he couldn't see Jack's eyes anymore. He wrapped one arm firmly around Jack's back, and raised the other to stroke gently through Jack's hair. Jack hummed and burrowed his face into Daniel's neck, then raised himself up to kiss Daniel—a series of sweet, soft claims on his mouth that Daniel freely surrendered to. Jack's hand cradled the side of his skull, a warm thumb sweeping gently back and forth across his brow and temple.

Daniel poured all the _yes_ he could express into his kisses. The intoxication of sex was slowly ebbing; the real world would be intruding soon. But Daniel couldn't write off what had happened to drugs and hormones; he wouldn't be able to bear it if Jack retreated behind excuses or repression or denial.

Jack was pulling away... but thankfully only far enough to look into Daniel's eyes. Expressions flickered rapidly across his face: happy, shy, questioning, hopeful, hesitant. Then, voice whispered and cracking, Jack ventured, "You really...?"

Daniel was confused. He really what? Jack clarified, "You really meant what you said?" Daniel cast his mind back over the last several minutes. He hadn't said anything... Back farther... Oh. _Oh!_ Had he really said out loud...? He looked up. Jack was frozen, waiting. Daniel pulled his head back down into a long, deep kiss.

"Yes," he finally said. Jack dove desperately for his mouth again.

His softening cock pulled free from Daniel's body, but the two of them clung tightly together, legs tangled and hands holding and stroking, reassuring each other that they both needed the connection.

After the kisses had eased off, they rolled to the side so that they could hold each other without Jack's weight crushing Daniel. Daniel angled his forehead to rest against Jack's, and spoke against his mouth. "I'm sorry. I feel like some kind of idiot for not realizing this before. How could I not know I was in love with you?"

"Maybe because I'm usually a giant pain in your mikta?"

Daniel wiggled against Jack. "Mmm. A giant something in my mikta," he joked, then added, "Actually, sometimes that helped. I mean, I've been through phases of hero worship or having a crush on you. Well, I've gone through little crushes on Sam and Janet and Teal'c, too..."

"That happens," said Jack, and Daniel recognized the admission.

"But it's pretty much been you. I can't help but notice you're gorgeous. And you have that whole courageous, loyal, saving my life thing going on. Watching you protect the lives of a group of helpless innocents turns my crank like you wouldn't believe. God, that first mission to Abydos..."

"Really? Since then?"

"Oh, yeah. But I pretty much figured you for a hundred percent straight. Besides, any time I had a big crush going, I could usually count on you to turn around and pull some boneheaded military maneuver that pissed me off." Jack snorted, in protest or in recognition. "Which was helpful for keeping the stars out of my eyes. The relationship we've built, the friendship, is pretty well grounded in reality. We know where we compromise and where we agree to disagree."

Jack nudged him gently, hip to hip. "Is it going to be a problem, disagreeing, now that we...?"

Daniel shook his head minutely. "I don't think so. For one thing, I understand a lot better where you're coming from." His tone went wry. "A few years of getting shot at and wrestling the Pentagon tends to take the shiny off the idealism. Besides," he continued, "you've learned to respect my opinion in the field, when it comes to diplomatic or cultural advice."

"Or moral advice," Jack added.

"Thank you."

"I can't always follow it, but I'm usually more frustrated by the situation than by you. I hope you know that."

"Yeah, I do. And same here." They hardly ever talked about their feelings explicitly. It was nice to hear that the assumptions he'd been making were correct, but he'd also already _known_ it, deep down where they'd always had their uncanny connection, beneath the "soldier" and "scholar" exteriors.

"So, gorgeous, huh?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. Trust Jack to jump into the shallow end. "Well, you know, adequately attractive," he teased, just to watch Jack pout. "Actually," he got more serious again, "it's made this alketairo situation pretty hellish."

"Getting to sleep with a gorgeous man is a bad thing?"

"It is when you've had fantasies about it in the past, but in real life he's straight, your best friend, and being forced into it against his will." He stroked Jack's cheek gently. "Making sure you weren't going to die really was my only concern. But there was the part of me that's attracted to you that I had to keep buried in a locked box in the back of my brain. I couldn't handle the idea of getting what I wanted through this sexual slavery."

Jack smiled ruefully. "I know exactly what you mean. I felt too guilty about you being forced to have sex with me to enjoy it. It was like when they say 'beware your dreams coming true'—a nightmare."

Daniel prodded. "Oh yeah? You liked me before?"

"I had... admired you, on occasion, yes," Jack admitted. "When you weren't getting on my last nerve."

Daniel grinned. He knew how that translated from Jack to English. "Really?"

"Let me show you something." Jack gave him a squeeze and disentangled his limbs from Daniel's.

Daniel watched him walk across the room. And he _could_ watch him. He didn't have to keep his glance cool and uninterested; he didn't have to avert his eyes. He could rake his gaze with appreciation over every glorious inch of a nude Jack O'Neill and enjoy it. He indulged, gladly. Jack leaned into the closet, and Daniel watched the ass he'd so gently fucked that morning, the ass he'd deliberately treated with care and detachment, wanting only to get Jack through his medical and emotional crises in one piece. But to have the opportunity to make love to Jack, to bring all the tenderness and passion he felt into bed with them... Daniel closed his eyes a moment in anticipation.

"Falling asleep?"

Daniel flipped his eyes back open. Jack was back at the bed, carrying the tube he gotten on Neocosmos.

"No," Daniel replied candidly, "wishing I had the recovery time I had at eighteen so that I could make love with you again."

Jack gave a wordless growl and tossed the tube to the side so that he could crawl onto the bed on all fours and kiss the hell out of Daniel. Red-lipped and panting, he looked down at their still-soft groins and shook his head. "Youth is wasted on the young."

Daniel hummed in agreement. "Though," he added, "If I had that libido again with you around, I'd never get anything else done." Jack waggled his eyebrows in a comic leer, and Daniel gave him a light shove. "What was it you were going to show me?"

"Ah." Jack went suddenly serious and reached for the tube. Daniel sat up and leaned against the headboard, and Jack joined him. He pulled the roll of drawings out, and carefully spread them on the blanket. Daniel leaned over to better see, and Jack wordlessly handed him his glasses from the nightstand. "Thank you. Oh!"

Now that Daniel could see the drawing, he was amazed. Bacchylides had sketched SG-1 at one of the dinners. He'd captured Sam looking up at Teal'c, eyes sparkling, and Teal'c radiating happiness at having amused his teammate. Jack and Daniel only had eyes for each other, creating their own bubble of intimacy during the public event. You could look at the drawing and see four good friends who knew each other well, but it was very easy to see them as sophauthentes and alketairos, also. "Do we really look like that?" Daniel asked.

"Backy seemed to think so," Jack replied. He moved the sketch to the bottom of the stack. The next picture was an outdoor scene of Jack on guard, hovering protectively and bristling at interlopers while Daniel studied a building detail, oblivious of the crowded street around them.

"Oh, that really is us." Daniel smiled sheepishly. "Do I really look that absent-minded?"

"Do I really look that mama bear?" Jack replied.

The answers were embarrassingly obvious, so Jack shuffled to the next picture.

Jack was standing behind Daniel, his hand on Daniel's shoulder as he leaned in to say something in his ear. Bacchylides had captured Jack's look, tender and caring. Daniel was still looking at his study materials, but his whole body was focused on Jack's voice, leaning into his touch.

Daniel stared at the picture a long time, wordlessly, before Jack swapped it out for the last one. This one was a series of studies of Daniel explaining something to Jack. In the first, Daniel had clasped Jack's arm, face lit with excitement, while Jack was attentive to the report. As the series progressed, Daniel's focus shifted from the information to Jack, while Jack went from professionally alert to pleased at Daniel's pleasure. The series ended with a large sketch of Jack genuinely delighted that Daniel was so excited, and Daniel glowing with happiness as he saw his elation reflected back by Jack.

"God, we're idiots," Daniel moaned.

"I know," said Jack. "I saw these right before we left the SGC, after you'd saved my life _again_. I spent a self-pity moment wishing you really did feel like that, and then several more moments kicking myself for wishing that when you were being forced to sleep with me. Now I'm just kicking myself for being a moron."

Daniel was still staring at the evidence. "How has the NID never gone after your career for this before?"

Jack shrugged. "For all I know, they have. But there wasn't anything concrete for them to find before now." The thought seemed to trigger wariness; Jack rolled up the sketches and put them back in the tube.

Daniel shivered. "Well I'm more glad than ever that Janet's keeping this out of the files. Medical records are supposed to be private, but I wouldn't put anything past them."

"Me, either."

Daniel was making a growing realization, though. "But, oh god, Jack, we can't! This will kill your career, and _will_ be used to go after the program."

Jack turned so that he could hold Daniel firmly. "No, Daniel. No. I've done my time and I've made my sacrifices. I was going to retire when I thought I'd lost you before. You think I wouldn't retire over finding you?"

"But, Jack..."

"Daniel. I would never do anything to hurt the program, but I refuse to pretend that we're not in love with each other. It's not fair to either one of us. We've both lost too much in our lives." He gave him a squeeze. "We've both learned you need to seize the carp."

"Jack..." God, leave it to Jack to crack a joke in the middle of a passionate declaration.

"What?" Innocent as a three-year-old with cookie crumbs on his face. Daniel had to struggle to keep his face serious.

"Speak Latin to me, and I'll follow you anywhere."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmm hmmm."

" _Carpe diem_ ," Jack whispered in his ear.

"Mmm. You romantic." Daniel started sliding towards horizontal, his arms still around Jack.

"So you will come with me and be my love?" Jack slid down after and over him.

"Plenty of pleasures to prove."

"I got your pleasure, right here, Nymph Boy."

The kiss Daniel was about to give was interrupted by a snicker. "Okay, 'Nymph Boy' has _got_ to go, unless you want a bunch of bad jokes about amorous shepherds in return."

"Rather have you."

"Exactly." This time Daniel did kiss him. "Mmm. Hey, did you want to watch that baseball game?"

Jack hesitated. "Only if you come with me."

Daniel was equally reluctant to lose this intimacy with Jack, so they both slipped on sweatpants and moved their snuggle to the couch in front of the television. It was like any shared Sunday with snacks and sports and free-floating conversation, random debates and easy camaraderie. The only thing different was full body contact. Daniel touched and petted constantly, reassuring himself they really were there together, taking full advantage of the opportunity to _finally_ have what he'd wanted for so long, loving that Jack was doing the same back. And best of all, when the game was over, Daniel could pull off his glasses and...

... _press_ Jack flat onto the couch. No more mister nice Daniel just giving the patient what he needed. Oh, no, he was making slow, _lick_ , sweet, _lick_ , passionate love to Jack. He was free to enjoy the swirling of chest hairs under his fingers, teasing up the nipples to hardness and then sucking and nibbling on them in turn. God, knowing that Jack _loved_ him, that he had _permission_ to... His hands and mouth roamed greedily, saying without words how very much he wanted to give, how much he had held back before.

By the time Daniel made it down to the waistband of Jack's sweatpants, Jack was humping the air futilely, his cock stretching the fabric. Daniel slowly lifted the pants up and over Jack's erection and peeled them downward. He took a moment to enjoy his prize. This was heaven! He indulged immediately in licking a broad stripe up the underside of Jack's cock, ending in a little swirl around the head. Jack's hips surged upwards in appreciation, but Daniel backed off immediately. First he wanted to dive further down—he pulled clumsily at the pants, trying to get them all the way off. With Jack's legs free, he could spread them and take one of Jack's balls gently into his mouth and stroke it with his tongue. He used his fingernails to gently caress and scratch the inside of Jack's thighs while he licked and sucked lightly at the balls.

Only when Jack moaned, "Daniel, please," did he move up and lick again at the length of Jack's cock. He gave a few firm swipes with his tongue just under the frenulum, loving the way Jack rolled his hips and whimpered in response. Then he took the whole thing in his mouth and began to suck in earnest. _This_ is what he'd wanted—to be an equal, to be able to concentrate on Jack's pleasure and give him an orgasm if he wanted to, when he wanted to. And because _they_ wanted to, no coercion. This was heaven.

Daniel wet a thumb and pressed it against Jack's perineum as he sucked. Jack grabbed reflexively at his hair, and just as suddenly let go as he realized what he'd done. Daniel smiled around his mouthful as Jack's hands came back lightly resting against his head, every ounce of whatever concentration Jack had left obviously spent on being considerate of Daniel's scalp. Daniel pulled in his cheeks and rode him hard and rhythmically with his mouth, never letting up, and was soon rewarded with the pulsation and spill he'd been waiting for. He swallowed quickly, then gently, gently eased the softening cock out of his mouth and let it fall with a last kiss. He looked up at the delicious sight of Jack lying back on the couch looking completely wrecked.

Jack flopped his hand in a vague _come here_ motion, and Daniel crawled carefully up his body to give him a kiss. Jack lazily, leisurely explored his mouth with his tongue, then rolled them a bit to tuck closely side by side on the couch. Half dopey from orgasm still, he held Daniel firmly and petted his hair. "Want you to fuck me again," he drawled.

Daniel's cock, already hard from getting Jack off, really liked the sound of that. But. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, definitely, definitely sure. Last time was..." He just squeezed more tightly for emphasis. "And I want to do it without being forced to and freaked out. This time I know I'll like it, and it's _me_ that's wanting it."

"Okay, okay." Daniel gave him a kiss. "So do you want to try it on the couch, or the bed."

"I don't want to move!" Jack groaned theatrically. "But I definitely don't want any freak falling-on-the-floor-while-fucking accidents."

"Mmm. Safety first," agreed Daniel mildly. "Want me to carry you?"

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. "In your dreams, geek." He gave Daniel a little shove to get him up.

"Geek who's about to fuck your ass," Daniel riposted. _Liar._ He was going to make love to that ass, and he couldn't wait.

"God I hope so," Jack said. Despite his previous snap, he held out his hand and Daniel hauled him up. Daniel noted Jack had recovered enough motor function to stumble along behind Daniel towards the bedroom. He'd have to practice giving a truly incapacitating blowjob. For now, being able to get to the bed _was_ actually convenient. Jack flopped dramatically face down, then rolled over and beckoned him.

Daniel took another opportunity to admire Jack's naked form. The late afternoon light softened the scarred skin and gave it a warm glow, while the angle of the sun cast shadows across the lean, muscular limbs that spoke of a lifetime of hard work and conditioning. Daniel stripped his sweatpants off in one quick move and joined Jack on the bed. "You're gorgeous," he whispered. "Just gorgeous." And then couldn't say any more because his mouth was full of Jack's.

This was not the fraught, careful sex of that morning. Daniel kissed, licked and nibbled. He looked Jack in the eyes, letting the full depth of his emotions show. Jack looked back, happy, unafraid, in love. Daniel still attentively stretched and prepared Jack for penetration, but Jack was relaxed and eager this time. When he decided he was ready, he pushed Daniel over and climbed astride him. Daniel held himself steady, and watched with an equal amount of nerves and anticipation while Jack lowered himself down.

As the tight, hot pressure slowly engulfed him, he lost track of everything but the sensation around his cock and the sight of Jack's gaze holding him pinned. Emotion swelled inside him, and he gripped Jack's thighs as he rode out the waves of intense wonder and trust and joy. That they could have been having sex together several times a day for nearly a week and not known their connection was this deep seemed impossible.

Jack's trust showed in the way he opened for Daniel, letting him in; his love showed in his eyes. Jack finished seating himself all the way onto Daniel's hips, and paused to adjust to the fullness inside him. Almost involuntarily he started rocking his pelvis, seeking stimulation. Daniel watched, transfixed, as Jack undulated gracefully, finding a rhythm that hypnotized them both with pure pleasure. In the warm, orange light of sunset, the scene looked mystical.

Daniel stretched his hands up, reaching towards Jack. Jack bent forward to meet him, leaned over to kiss him. They rocked slowly into each other, drawing out the pleasure. Daniel wrapped a hand around Jack's cock, and felt him buck into it, then back, picking up speed as he worked the dual sensations.

"Oh god, Daniel. Daniel!" Jack panted against Daniel's mouth as he rode hard and got carried away by the inescapable orgasm. Daniel loved the feel of Jack's cock jerking in his hand, shooting wetness across his belly. It was such a gift to know that Jack could come of his own volition, because he wanted to, because he wanted to be with Daniel. Daniel closed his eyes and waited, holding tightly onto Jack until he recovered from his boneless slump.

Finally Jack raised his head, and wiggled his hips experimentally with Daniel's erection still inside him. "Wanna do something about that, big guy?"

Daniel grinned. "Actually..." He held onto Jack and turned them over. "Is this okay?" he whispered.

"Mmm... 's _great_ ," Jack replied.

So Daniel rolled his hips, working himself in and out of Jack's pliant body. He was overwhelmed by the experience—to have Jack, to love him, to remember Jack's pleasure at the same time Jack was humming with new pleasure... Daniel spilled out his orgasm helplessly, and searched out Jack's lips blindly, instinctively, needing to be joined with him in every way.

The light was starting to dim by the time they gathered enough will to stir. Jack stretched like a cat before attempting to stand up, but assured Daniel he was fine before heading to the bathroom. Daniel let himself drift again, until he heard his name called, then shouted, making him bolt upright. He was halfway across the room when Jack came running in.

"My pee _stinks_!" It took Daniel a second to catch on, and Jack was already explaining, "The goddammed tea—I can smell it. I'll never forget that smell. It's gone! Outta there! Hasta la vista!"

"It's...? Oh, god, Jack, that's great! That's great!" Daniel clung to him with relief, which was difficult since Jack was trying to dance around, making them lurch in an awkward whirl around the bedroom. _Oh, thank god._ Daniel would never again have to see Jack shaking and white with nausea, falling into a coma. He gave Jack an enthusiastic kiss.

As they wound down, Daniel remembered, "Hey should we call the base?"

Jack made a face. "I'd rather not."

"Why?"

"Well, they'll just tell us to come in right away, but one of two things will happen. Either the doc will be too busy to see us, and we'll be waiting around the base for nothing, or she'll see us and separate us to test it out. And frankly, I just want to sleep with you tonight." He nuzzled Daniel's ear, making a great argument for that suggestion.

"Yeah, okay. I kind of like that idea."

"Hmm, thought you would." Jack placed great, open-mouthed kisses all the way down Daniel's neck. At this rate Daniel was never going to want to go back to the base.

~

The next morning, though, they were good and called for their check-in. Doctor Warner answered, and told them Doctor Fraiser was asleep after a long night's work, but that they were waiting to see if the latest treatment for SG-9 would take. Jack left the message that the good news they'd been waiting for had happened, and that they should be in the all-clear. He promised they'd be on base at thirteen hundred hours when Fraiser would be available.

"Well, we seem to have the morning off," Jack leered comically.

Daniel responded oh so dryly, "Why, _whatever_ shall we do?" But he climbed astride Jack's lap and kissed him thoroughly. "Actually," he amended, "there is some work we should get done."

"No!" Jack played at clinging to Daniel. "No work!"

"Yes work," Daniel kissed him again. "We should call Sam, have her send over her suggestions for facilities on Neocosmos."

"Why?"

"Remember that offworld secondary SGC you should have been given? Maybe Earth _should_ have an offworld base—maybe it should be a military/civilian/diplomatic/research complex, somewhere the goa'uld don't know exists."

Jack went still as he ran over the possibilities in his mind. Daniel loved getting glimpses of the shrewd, strategic thinker Jack usually kept hidden. "There's always the question of funding..."

"I have some ideas about that. In fact, the way the Neocosmans build, I think it could largely be self-sustainable, other than paying the Earth personnel, who would have to be paid anyway."

"And there's getting the political will..."

"Did you know the First Lady has a degree in Classics?"

"I thought she had a law degree."

"She does. That's what someone with a bachelors in Classics does when they decide they don't want to work at McDonald's."

"Ah. So I'm guessing that one of the first honored guests at the Neocosman complex would be..."

"Exactly."

Jack's brain was ticking at full speed now, and he patted Daniel on the butt to get him to shift off. "Okay, I'm going to call Carter and get her list. We have a few hours to brainstorm some proposals to go along with my letter of resignation."

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Jack!" Daniel really needed his attention for this. "When you talk to Sam, tell her and Teal'c to meet us in my office at noon. They should really hear it from us, first." Jack grimaced, but nodded.

~

Jack and Daniel sat in the private exam room as the doc gave them the once over. She looked worlds better, after a solid sleep and knowing that SG-9 was on the mend.

"I have to say, I can't figure out how the tea worked. Was it responding to stress levels from repressing your feelings? Or does it react differently to sexual fluids contacted outside of the periods of compulsion?"

"Actually," Daniel offered, "if that second hypothesis is true... It's possible that Neocosman pairs initiate their sexual contact right after the tea is drunk, before the first compulsion, causing the elimination of the tea. Or if they have sex during the compulsion, with their relationship back on track they have sex again before the next episode, again triggering the elimination." He shrugged. "It's also possible that the Neocosmans' long-term diet of native plants offers them something that makes them react differently to the tea than we do. Whatever the problem, they are well aware now that tea and SGC personnel don't mix."

Janet shuddered. "I should hope so. I don't want any patients falling into comas." She turned to Jack. "I do want to keep you under observation for twenty-four hours, and make sure that a separation from Daniel doesn't cause some sort of relapse. And Daniel, I'll want you to stay on base, even if not in proximity, just in case."

"Of course." They'd expected this.

Jack added, "But first I'd like to see General Hammond. I'll need to..."

Janet saddened. "Of all the ridiculous regulations... We shouldn't be losing officers like you—the program needs you."

Jack grimaced. "It is ridiculous. But with any luck I won't be leaving the program entirely."

"I'm glad to hear it, Colonel. I hope we get to keep you. As for the two of you... well, I'm not sure whether I should be saying congratulations or God help you." She gave them a cheeky wink and walked out.

"Definitely God help me," Daniel declared.

Jack swatted his arm, "She meant God help _me_."

"Nope. Pretty sure she meant me."

"Nuh uh. The doc loves me."

"Then God help her, too."

Jack captured him in a headlock that turned into a rough, affectionate hug. "I'm off to the general's."

"Good luck." They weren't kissing. Not in uniform, not on base. Not before Jack handed in his resignation. But they both felt the connection, just the same.

~

Jack knocked on General Hammond's door.

"Come in, Colonel. I'm glad to see you back. I take it you have good news for me."

"Yes sir. Well..." He placed an envelope on the desk in front of the general before sitting down. "I have good news and bad news, that's actually, for me, good news, and I think I have other good news." General Hammond looked unfazed by Jack's circular speech pattern. Huh, Jack had actually gotten him broken in.

"I take it one of these good newses is that you won't be dying from the side effects of this alien ritual tea."

"Yes, sir. We managed to figure out how to end that problem. The thing of it is, sir—well, that's why you have that letter in front of you." Jack took a deep breath and stared at the desk. This had been hard enough with Carter and Teal'c. "The effects of the tea ended once I was able to admit that I'm in love with Daniel." He checked cautiously. Well, the general had managed not to blow a gasket or gape in shocked disbelief.

"Then this is a letter of resignation?"

"Yes, sir."

"Dammit, Jack! I don't want to lose you." Before Jack could protest, the general put up a hand. "I'm not saying you should deny your feelings or try to hide them. I'm just saying I can't imagine this command without you."

"Well, sir, we have some ideas about that..."

~

 

**Epilogue**

Daniel stood by the stargate with the SFs, waiting. Both the voice transmission and IDC cleared, so Captain Mendez opened the new, super-durable trinium iris. Four figures stepped through the event horizon.

"Sam! Welcome back to Apoikios."

Sam gave Daniel a huge hug. "It's great to be back."

"Your leg okay?"

"Would Janet clear me if it weren't?"

"I know. We were just worried."

"I'm fine, Daniel." Daniel, Sam and her team turned towards the SGC outpost. "So, I rate a welcome from Mr. Ambassador, himself."

Daniel gave her a wry look. "It _is_ largely a ceremonial position."

She snickered. "Good thing you get to do research on the side. Found anything interesting lately?"

"Actually, maybe yes. I'll break the news later, after you and the geek squad get settled in."

Sam protested on behalf of her team. "Hey! You've been living with Jack too long."

"No, not nearly long enough, actually." And when had he turned into such a sap? Maybe Jack _was_ rubbing off on him. "Besides, you know he calls me and the social scientists worse."

"True."

And speak of the devil... "Colonel Carter! Nice to see SG-10 here again. Come on in."

"Sir!" Sam saluted.

"Would you cut that out? I've been a civilian for two years. Let me enjoy it."

"Well if you weren't running an SGC outpost, it might feel more like you were a civilian. As it is, though..." she teased him with a twinkle.

"If I were running an outpost that had more military than civilians, I might buy that. Unfortunately I'm neck-deep in bookworms. Then you had to go and show up with your science team. Right now I'd even take a squad of Marines! Er, no offense Garfield," he added to Sam's Marine engineer.

"None taken, I'm sure, sir," replied Garfield deceptively blandly. Jack eyed her warily.

"So!" He clapped his hands and turned to lead the party in. "There's a gaggle of folks in the city right now, so we'll do the briefing at fifteen hundred hours, local. Go settle your gear, and come see the big guy. He pretends like he's fine with stopping by and helping review all this history crap, but he's probably bored out of his skull."

Daniel huffed. Teal'c was perfectly happy comparing goa'uld legend with Egyptian records. Sure he spent a lot of time at Museopolis's gymnios, or in Apoikios's own sporting complex, but that was nothing new.

Daniel kept up with physical training, himself. Even though he wasn't on a field team anymore, he liked staying in shape. And it was setting an interesting example for the Neocosmans to watch him spar with Jack, or even Teal'c. He wasn't out to change their social structure—it certainly worked for them—but just being exposed to a new perspective was giving them food for thought. They'd been unicultural, more or less, for sixteen hundred years.

Other exposures they were wisely rejecting. It was one thing to read about war in their ancient history; it was another to see video of contemporary conflicts, and the horrors they involved. That Christianity was still sometimes the source of violent intolerance was an especially hard blow. Resource depletion and pollution was another concept the Neocosmans couldn't wrap their minds around. All in all, their initial excitement at reconnecting to the Old World was tempered by some of the harsh realities of how Earth's societies had evolved—or not.

They also got a look at galactic war, as groups of refugees came through to Apoikios for asylum, getting treated and sorted out before moving on to new, more permanent homes.

Still, there was a great deal of good and advancement to be shared, from both sides. The Neocosman-built complex was largely self-sustaining, with the SGC's addition of solar panels for extra power to run their computers and radio equipment. Agricultural engineers had set up a farm around the complex to grow seed for corn, beans, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and cocoa—Neocosmos was finally getting a taste of the "other" New World.

Jack had also offered the Council his expertise. Over the centuries, sometimes learning the hard way, the Neocosmans had developed measures to protect themselves from storms, droughts, blights and other natural disasters. Daniel had enjoyed watching Jack demonstrate his incisive mind, making suggestions to adapt their existing contingencies and add a few modifications, in case the worst should happen and they faced invasion. The Council hadn't minded his rough street vocabulary at all, and had been deeply impressed with his analytical thinking. Daniel took quiet pride in hearing him called "Alexander" behind his back.

Not that it stopped Jack from putting on his goofball act most of the time. Jack and Bacchylides were still thick as thieves, and Daniel had to admit that Backy had become a good friend of his own as well. Kapta and Philip also visited often, and Daniel and Jack slowly realized they had both developed close relationships with several Neocosmans. With the running of the outpost, Jack didn't get to go fishing as often as he would have liked to, but they'd very much made a home on Neocosmos. Together.

~

"So, Daniel," Sam linked her arm in his on the way to the conference room. "You look the same, but happy. You both do."

Daniel joggled her arm with his. "Uh, thanks?"

"You know what I mean."

He did. When they'd first told Sam and Teal'c, Sam had been shocked, and Teal'c had been—well, he'd blinked, anyway. But it had only taken a minute, and a very stammered apology for gaping, for Sam to realize that it really wasn't surprising at all. "Honestly, Daniel, sir, I mean, the, uh, physical relationship thing," she'd choked out, "I never would have... But the two of you, well, I mean, you _are_ kind of together, or, well, you always have been..."

"Sam. Sam! It's okay, I know what you're saying," Daniel had rescued her. "Thank you." She'd been bright red over her inability to articulate herself, but she'd been happy for them. Teal'c, of course, had been as smooth as butter, congratulating them, and having a few choice words about the US military's regulations. Jack and Daniel had promised to do what they could to stay involved in the SGC, and fortunately they'd succeeded.

Now SG-1 was reunited, if only briefly, at a conference table on the other side of the galaxy, with a command's worth of personnel around them. Daniel listened attentively to Sam's update from the base. Teams rotated regularly visiting Apoikios, trading updates and offering physical training to Earth personnel and Neocosmans alike. It was a popular mission for new personnel or for teams coming back from injury, as Sam was.

The various academic team leaders delivered their reports to Sam, and Teal'c related their latest hypothesis on Ra's rivalry with Apophis.

Finally it was Daniel's turn. "This didn't come up during our scholarly research. In fact, it was only a chance visit by Bacchylides that led us to this. He came by while I was going through one of my archive boxes, and recognized a text sample. There's a statue dating back to the founding days of Neocosmos with what everyone thought was a decorative motif on the base." Daniel clicked a slide up on the screen, and he saw Sam's eyes widen in question. "Here is writing from the meeting place of the Four Races we dubbed Heliopolis." He added another slide side-by-side with the first. The resemblance was unmistakable. "We have to consider the possibility that Athena was a Furling."

Before Sam could burst out with an excited exclamation, Daniel held up his hand. "It doesn't get us much farther than we already were. We aren't able to translate this, and we're still no further in knowing who the Furlings are or how to contact them. But it is interesting that they as well as the Asgard may have been assisting Earth, and it would be something to discuss with the Asgard and the Nox."

The meeting broke up, and SG-10 surrounded Daniel, eagerly asking questions. Yes, they had tested the statue thoroughly. No, it was simple stone—no technology. Yes, the artists and historians were searching their oldest artifacts for any other traces of the Furlings.

What Daniel didn't say was that he had a deeply held belief that Neocosmos and Apoikios were an important part of humanity's journey to become the Fifth Race. Maybe it was wishful thinking, wanting to still be involved in relevant work. But Thor _had_ been very intrigued on his one visit to Apoikios, and was planning to meet the Neocosmans soon.

~

That night, Daniel curled into Jack, who opened automatically to pull him in. Daniel rolled his upper body over Jack's and kissed him slowly and deeply. When they finally paused, Daniel remarked, " _This_ is eutopia."

"Mmm hmm," replied Jack. He was paying more attention to Daniel's face, as he ran his hand slowly over Daniel's brow.

"Jack, are you listening to me?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Daniel said, and leaned in to kiss him again, hot, dirty and with intent. Between them, actions spoke louder than words.

~

 

_Apoikia - colony, "people from home"_

**Author's Note:**

> Contains dub-con in the classic fuck-or-die cliche sense. Both participants are more concerned about the other person than bothered by the sex on their own behalf. There is reference to a past rape.


End file.
